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Edmonton’s frustration with forking out millions related to homelessness has reached a tipping point and now city council is looking at a transition strategy to shift the financial responsibilities to the province.
City council voted in favour Thursday of working with the province on an “exit strategy” for all services and programs related to housing, shelter operations and mental health and addiction support currently being funded by Edmonton but fall under the jurisdiction of the Government of Alberta.
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Coun. Andrew Knack, who introduced the motion, has served on city council for three terms and said council needs to do something to ensure the money they are spending goes to operations the way they need it to.
“Forgive my frustration because I’ve been sitting here for 10 years waiting for something that will get better and it’s exhausting because people keep losing their lives. I just would like to see something that actually moves us in a direction that can help fix this,” Knack said.
“After sitting here for 10 years I have nobody to blame but myself that we are not where we need to be. It’s so hard to hear year after year.”
In 2023 Edmonton spent $91.3 million on homelessness-related activities — a 22 per cent increase from the $73 million in 2022, according to a report by the city.
While the motion passed unanimously Coun. Erin Rutherford said she had reservations. Rutherford, who worked in housing and homelessness prior to being elected to city council, said she worries about how jurisdiction can be used “as a shield” from all orders of government.
“I think part two of the motion is actually in my opinion creating a bit of a political lightning rod and I don’t think that serves the community and the way we’re intending it to serve the community,” Rutherford said.
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“We need to work collectively on that kind of advocacy and I think more rightfully so in places like (Alberta Municipalities) than going at it alone in a way that I think creates more political animosity than actually moves us forward.”
City aims to end chronic homelessness by 2050
The city’s 2024 housing and homelessness services plan, which has been in the works for a year and a half, aims to achieve Edmonton’s target of ending chronic and periods of homelessness by 2050.
In July and August 2023, 67 people from city business areas, the Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Public Library discussed what actions they were taking to address homelessness. The majority of business owners, members of the police and the library were in favour of the plan and wanted to be part of the solution. During the engagement process, businesses highlighted tension in their areas and said their activities to address homelessness were highly reactive due to issues that arose as a symptom of homelessness.
According to Homeward Trust there are 3,262 people currently experiencing homelessness in Edmonton. As of April 2024, 1,841 people are in short-term accommodations, 543 are in shelters and 878 remain unsheltered.
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The city’s report said there is a need for an additional 300 to 600 caseload spaces for individuals on Homeward Trust’s By Name List waiting to be assigned to a housing worker to begin finding housing.
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