The City of St. Albert is looking for a consultant to undertake a feasibility study on a city-operated youth transitional home.
The step was recommended by the Mayor's Task Force to End Homelessness. Approved with a spending limit of $132,000 as part of the 2023 budget, the city wants the study to assess the local need for a youth home, identify possible operating models and potential partnerships, and provide a range of funding methods, according to the published request for proposals (RFP).
The needs assessment will also "analyze the needs of homeless and at-risk youth in order to identify gaps in service and to develop a strategic action plan to create transitional housing and support services for the target population," the RFP says.
In an interview, Mayor Cathy Heron said the need for youth transitional housing in St. Albert had already been justified through the task force's final report, released in 2020.
"There's no need to justify it, we just need to figure out how to do it," she said.
"Hopefully the feasibility study will talk about ... what the municipality's role [is], what's the provincial role, what's the federal role, [and] who's going to operate this thing."
Heron added she hopes the study will lay out how a youth transitional home in St. Albert could also benefit other municipalities in the region, and could be a regional project.
"Not every municipality needs to build a huge supportive transitional home, so maybe St. Albert supplies that to the region," she said.
"I really want to step up as St. Albert, with my hand high, to say St. Albert's willing to take on the youth issue of homelessness and get a roof over their head, get them hopefully through high school, give them a resume, give them basic life skills ... that a lot of these kids, when they leave home very early, don't have."
The study was nearly postponed for consideration in the 2024 budget, as a motion put forward by Coun. Shelley Biermanski was narrowly defeated 4-3 during last December's budget deliberations.
In an interview, Biermanski said she wanted to postpone the study to avoid spending on consultants.
"We're always dedicating work to consultants," she said. "Our consultants budget was a high number in our budget, so my major concern [was] the cost of consulting for it."
"Since the pandemic, it's kind of been an influx of many, many different problems that we have to deal with more immediately than research."
City spokesperson Pamela Osborne told The Gazette St. Albert had 162 homeless residents in 2022, 44 of whom were under the age of 25.
"One of the Community Support Workers at [Family and Community Support Services] is specifically focused on working with youth aged 15-24," Osborne said. "In addition to housing being identified as a top issue, other top reasons for service include financial support, mental health supports, form completion (primarily income support and AISH applications) and employment."
"There continues to be a housing need for residents of all ages in the community," she said.
In its final report to council, the task force recommended the development of a youth home, as vulnerable youth represent the group with the fewest available resources and services.
"Based on the typology of homelessness among youth in St. Albert, a transitional home is an appropriate tertiary prevention response and an advocacy model with individualized supports is the best fit for St. Albert youth," the report says, noting local homeless youth are generally disconnected from family, and therefore disconnected from support.
"An advocacy model provides a safe place for youth to live with built-in supports which enable them to continue developing into healthy, independent adults."
The task force said a successful transitional home in St. Albert would support a maximum of 10 youth aged 16-24 at any given time, and youth could stay in the home as long as needed.
The city's RFP for the study does not include a deadline for its completion.
