No home and nowhere in St. Albert to go

Dean Kurpjuweit was driving down St. Albert Trail recently when he saw a woman in distress by the side of the road. The St. Albert resident and executive director of the Mustard Seed in Edmonton realized he didn't know who to call for help.

In Edmonton, residents can call 211, which can help connect them with government, community, health and social services. In St. Albert, no such service exists.

"As somebody who's involved in this industry, and as somebody who knows our city pretty well and those social services pretty well, I don't know who to call," Kurpjuweit said.

People in St. Albert who have nowhere to go only have three options at the moment: sleep outside, try to catch a ride to Edmonton or make the hours-long trek by foot to an Edmonton housing organization. While St. Albert has some organizations that help people who are facing housing insecurity, Kurpjuweit says there is still a gap in the services this city has.

Some 200 people turned out Tuesday morning for the St. Albert Housing Society's annual breakfast fundraiser to hear Kurpjuweit speak about creating an inclusive city for all of the residents who live here.

Kurpjuweit said there is no organization in the city's limits that supports and helps out people who don't have anywhere to sleep.

“There's no doubt in my mind that we need some sort of service for those that have nowhere to sleep at night,” Kurpjuweit said.

“It’s a great city to live in, but to truly be inclusive is to have the system in place to care for the marginalized. And at present, St. Albert does not have the depth of care that is required to do that.”

Kurpjuweit said there is nowhere in the city for people needing a place to sleep and nowhere that provides a service similar to the Mustard Seed.

The executive director said the St. Albert Food Bank, Salvation Army and Housing Society do a great job at helping marginalized people access services, but if someone needs a place to sleep, they have to go to Edmonton or brave the elements.

Cheryl Dumont, vice-chair of the St. Albert Housing Society, said the annual fundraising breakfast was a success with all 200 tickets sold.

The society doesn’t have the tally of funds raised yet but said both the auction and silent auction held during the breakfast were a success.

The organization aims to raise $60,000 this year to help support its programs and keep the organization afloat.

Money goes directly into the home connections program, which is the charitable arm of the society. Dumont said they use the money to subsidize rent for individuals, not only in the units they own but also through partnerships with landlords.

“It's meant to be a temporary provision to help people move up and move on,” Dumont said, adding most people need help for a year or two and are able to get on their feet.

But Dumont said they also serve people on low fixed incomes, like people who are on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).

Dumont said people are often surprised to hear St. Albertans may need help finding affordable housing and paying their rent.

“There's a figure of at least 4,000 people in St. Albert that could use help with their rent so they can have the other necessities of life,” she said.

The Housing Society owns 27 housing units for affordable housing with a waiting list to get into them.

To donate to the organization, please visit stalberthousing.com.