The PAGC aims to create positive changes at the 24-hour homeless shelter

The 24-hour homeless shelter in Prince Albert has a new operator – the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Urban Services has taken over from the YWCA Prince Albert.

PAGC signed an agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan to assume operations of the Stepping Stones emergency shelter, located on the Exhibition Grounds.

The YWCA previously announced it would be closing the shelter due to concerns about overcrowding, air flow, ventilation, and operations putting constraints on its mandate and other programming.

“We’ve heard a lot of good things from the clients there,” said Edward Mirasty, “PAGC Director of Urban Services. They feel better now that PAGC has taken over.”

He said most of the current clients at the shelter were from PAGC communities and other First Nation communities.

“A lot of folks felt that increased culture connectedness,” said Mirasty.

The name of the shelter has also changed, from Stepping Stones to Relatives’ Lodge, as a way to emphasize the family-minded approach of PAGC is choosing to take.

“That name stood out because we wanted to have a connection with culture [and] with the sweat lodge,” said Mirasty. “We look at each of our clients as relatives, so the name was a perfect fit.”

The challenges faced by the YWCA will likely be passed on to PAGC, with the shelter capacity currently at 36 beds, while the homeless population in Prince Albert is estimated around 260.

“We’re proud to be taking over these essential services for our relatives who are without housing,” said PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte. “Moving forward, we hope to work together with all levels of government and service providers to create long-term, transformative solutions [to] address the root causes of this crisis.”

Since assuming operations, they’ve discovered a handful of additional challenges.

Mirasty said they were warned the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) has been known to drop off people at the shelter and drive away.

“If they do that then we’re going to have to sit down with the Mayor (Bill Powalinsky) and put more pressure on him because something will have to be done about that,” said Mirasty.

“We have cameras that show the outside. If we ever catch a badge number or license plate number of the (PAPS) vehicle, then I think they’ll be some serious discussions with the Chief of Police.”

When asked for a comment, PAPS said they were “looking into this matter and gathering any relevant information” but had no further comment.

Misasty also said the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary, located in west Prince Albert, has requested shelter for inmates outgoing from the prison.

“We never saw that coming,” said Mirasty. “We have been getting calls for inmates who are fresh out of the penitentiary, who have no where else to go,”

To accommodate the extensive need, PAGC are planning on opening a much larger, permanent shelter.

“We don’t want our staff to feel like they’re unsafe, but we also have to look at our relatives extending from the federal and provincial jail, because we want them to have supports when they get out,” said Mirasty.

Plans are in motion to create a permanent shelter in a city-owned yard, just outside of the Exhibition Ground in November.

The shelter would be a ‘sprung structure’ – a type of modular, tension fabric building.

Mirasty said they are pushing to have the building up by November of this year.

“A technician from the Ministry said it was optimistic to have it done by November, but we’re going to keep bringing it up at every meeting,” he said. “A sprung structure would accommodate 200 plus people, and since we have the federal penitentiary asking for shelter for their inmates, we think (a building of this size) would be an absolutely great thing.”