ATHABASCA, Alta. — The generous gift of a vacant building to the Athabasca Cares Community Housing Society (ACCHS) could soon become homeless shelter.
The building, last used as a telecommunication store, is nestled between the Great Canadian Dollar Store and Landing Trail Liquor Store on 50th Street. It was originally the Royal Café and boarding house, so it may actually end up going back to its original purpose, if everything works out for ACCHS.
“We have people squatting in abandoned buildings downtown, we have people squatting at the riverfront, we have people living in back alleys by dumpsters, we have people who spend a lot of time throughout the day in businesses just trying to get a reprieve from heat or whatever,” said ACCHS president Krystal Zahara in a Sept. 1 interview. “It will be obviously beneficial for businesses downtown and those individuals to have a place to go.”
Zahara realizes some business owners may not be pleased with placing a shelter there, but the group can’t be fussy when the building is gifted to them.
“This isn't a matter of us trying to find the best place to put it, it's a matter of what's available to us because we don't have the funds to buy a building or rent a building,” she said. “So, when a place in town is gifted to us by a compassionate individual who cares about homeless individuals, we can't turn that down and we're going to do whatever we can to make a go of it.”
She added the group is aware of businesses and some individuals who have already expressed dismay over the prospect of drawing more homeless people to the main street.
“We don't plan on just opening a building and allowing people to come and go and put themselves at risk or put other people at risk,” said Zahara. “We have some constructive plans in place to hire qualified individuals to staff the shelter and operate as functionally and professionally as possible. We've put a lot of thought into this and what it needs to look like.”
She added when the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre ran its five-bed mat program during the winter months 2020 to 2021, there were no complaints from residents or businesses close to where it was run.
“It was run with volunteers in a very modified environment, and we plan to put an environment in place that has way more structure with staffing and security,” Zahara said. "I think, if anything, history shows it is possible to run a program like this in Athabasca without having it affect our businesses and our residents.”
Town of Athabasca Mayor Rob Balay was the one who introduced ACCHS to the current building owner, Bob Edgar, so he is fully aware of where it will be and any concerns.
“It has to go through the process,” Balay said in a Sept. 1 interview. “They have to apply for a development permit, and it goes to MPC (municipal planning commission) (and) MPC either approves or denies it.”
There will also be an opportunity for public input and if it’s denied the group can take it to the Subdivision Appeal Board (SDBA) which is made up of councillors from the Town of Athabasca, Athabasca County, and the Village of Boyle.
“They actually have the judiciary authority to overturn what council did or support council, or even add some conditions to it,” said Balay.
He also thinks it would be a positive to have it located downtown.
“I think some people's first impression on this thing is ‘Oh, you gotta be crazy' but the homeless are there anyway,’” he said. "The building is in disrepair, so (ACCHS) would have to fix the building up to look nice, which would be a great improvement for downtown. It wouldn't be boarded up with plywood. It wouldn't have broken windows. So, that would all be part of the conditions of the development going ahead. And there may be conditions where it says the access is only from the back alley, and it’s only emergency exit from the front.”
The group started after the Sept. 7, 2020, death of Roy Jacobs due to exposure while he sleeping near the Athabasca River in the riverfront park.
“I've said this before, it’s just a matter of time before people are dying again in Athabasca,” said Zahara. “It's going to happen, and we can't turn a blind eye to homelessness. It's here. It's visible. We cannot make it go away and so we can either choose to allow people to continue to live at the river (or give them a place to be safe).”
Now the group has to wait for the land transfer, then the development permit, get the utilities re-installed, clean up the building and get everything ready.
“We have had a preliminary inspection done on the building and we've passed structurally for the building, the furnace looks good and things like that,” she said. “It's a matter of getting the utilities hooked back up and insurance as well.”
As for the proposed tiny houses which would have been located behind the Athabasca Reformed Congregation church, that project has been discontinued due to the more permanent building and to answer any questions the group will be hosting an open meeting 7 p.m., Sept. 26, at the Multiplex, upstairs in one of the meeting rooms.
“Residents and business owners can have a chance to voice their concerns and we are more than happy to hear people's concerns and we completely understand when undertaking a project like this, there's valid community concern," said Zahara. “We don't want to discard anyone's concern and we want to move through this process as respectfully as possible and take into consideration everyone's concerns because we know they're valid.”
