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Winter Emergency Projects

Introduction

The Winter Emergency Committee was set up several years ago by Homeward Trust Edmonton (formerly Edmonton Housing Trust Fund - EHTF and the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing - EJPCOH) to lead a community planning process to develop a functional and feasible Winter Emergency Response Plan.

The harsh winters in Edmonton mean that many homeless people suffer with the cold and the Winter Emergency Response Plan is means to equip agencies with the resources they need to provide shelter, warmth, food and comfort during the long winter months. The program operates from November 1st to April 30th each year, but the start date or the effective date is dependent on the weather.

The committee is made up of representatives from Homeward Trust, the three orders of government and community service agencies. The committee meets every two weeks to oversee and manage the program and to ensure that adequate resources and services are available to the homeless community.

The Need

The Homeward Trust bi-annual count of homeless persons took place on October 21st 2008. The Count
revealed that 3079 people were homeless on that day in Edmonton during the hours of 5.30am to 10pm. This is a “point in time” count and although it has its limitations we know that the overall number of homeless people has risen by 18% since 2006.

Consequently the Winter Emergency Response Plan reflects the growing number of homeless people in Edmonton and has also been tailored to meet the needs of homeless people, namely extended hours of “warming” centers, city-wide transportation to get people to shelters, and a contingency for additional mats at shelters in the event of extreme weather conditions.

The key components recommended for the 2008-09 Plan are as follows:

Winter Shelter: The main provider of emergency shelter mats continues to be Hope Mission. Based on previous year’s statistics, an additional 50 mats should be sufficient to meet the demand. The Salvation Army expressed their interest and capacity to accommodate the additional mats only. Hope Mission would staff the 50 mats, including security guards.

Services and Special Needs: This plan recognizes that there are special requirements for different populations, from chronically homeless to families to those with health and disabilities issues. As well, the needs of secondary migrants remain high. In addition to appropriate shelter responses for these groups, additional support and additional 0.5 FTE health care staff are required.

Transportation: It is proposed that the Winter Emergency Van and follow-up service be operated once again (previously operated by Boyle Street Community Services).

Drop-Ins & Warming:   Emphasis is on the use of existing facilities throughout the day and with extended hours for drop-in facilities so services are available 7 days per week and when the shelters are closed.

Coordination: In order to make the most effective use of existing and new resources, focused coordination of Winter Emergency Response initiatives is required. This will also involve monitoring shelter usage and initiating appropriate responses depending on need.

Extreme Situation: Contingency for additional shelter spaces should client numbers and weather indicate a need; or, in case of an emergency/extreme situation i.e. fire, flood or other disasters should prohibit any of the existing overnight shelter agencies from providing accommodation for the homeless. It is anticipated that the Marv Holland building would be utilized for this purpose only on an “as needed” basis.

The Winter Emergency Resources List 2008 - 2009 is available and provides the latest emergency information. This list is updated regularly so please ensure you have the latest list from this site.