Red Deer’s Task Force on Homelessness recommends new non-profit take over responsibilities from City

The volunteer business-led initiative began a year ago, spending 10 months having conversations, tours, and conducting research with various local, provincial, national, and international parties.

The report gives 18 strategic recommendations, divided into four priorities:

1. Community Champion

2. Close the Gaps

3. Partner-led Advocacy

4. Community-led Advocacy

COMMUNITY CHAMPION

The City of Red Deer is currently registered with the Government of Alberta as the Community-Based Organization (CBO) responsible for securing funding and allocating resources to support homeless initiatives.

The Task Force recommended that by the end of 2024, they would like to create a non-profit society, led by a board of business leaders, Indigenous partners, the City, and other community representatives, and transfer all responsibilities and funding from the City to the Society.

“Business leaders are used to efficiency and sometimes operations within the municipal government doesn’t allow for as much of an efficiency that you could run your business in. That’s just the animal that it is, and you can’t do anything about it. They can do as much within their parameters,” said Radford, acknowledging the City’s efforts.

“This non-profit can develop their own parameters, so we’re not worried about whether something we’re doing on the non-profit doesn’t align with something that is happening within another City department.”

Mayor Ken Johnston said this is not the first time the City has considered their role as the CBO and is open to exploring a housing body solely focused on homelessness, a method that has shown success in cities like Calgary and Edmonton

“I’ve said for the last couple of years that housing is just not, in any way, getting the attention it deserves at the federal level, particularly. The last few months, I have turned my attention to what is possible community-wise. This may be the start of a rebirth, of an effort, to really get our arms around housing stock and getting people a more secure standard of living,” he said.

A similar discussion was had in October 2023 when the Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) asked the City to act as their funding organization instead of Care for Newcomers. Some councillors voiced that the responsibility should remain with local organizations rather than municipal government. The LIP retracted their decision this March.

Red Deer city council briefs: March 4

Former Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewelling, present at the conference, said he was pleasantly surprised by the report. While not a “silver bullet”, he said the recommendation on creating a housing board was “bang on”.

“When they announced the idea of appointing a task force from the Chamber, I went ‘oh dear, here we go, one more trip around the mulberry bush and it isn’t going to change the needle one bit’. So, I went in with low expectations,” he said. “The people that they had on that committee really delved into it, understood what they were doing, and the report is one of the best reports in my long career of playing the political game.”

Darcy Mykytyshyn, Task Force Support Member, speaks at the Radisson Hotel on Tuesday. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

CLOSE THE GAPS

Six key themes under this priority include:

1. Housing is a business and economic development issue

2. Community understanding of homelessness

3. It’s hard to go home when there is no home to go to

4. Collaborative Fragmentation

5. Bureaucratization of homelessness

6. Conflicting civic priorities

Recommendations include creating a Social Land Bank, where suitable land for affordable housing is purchased by the City, and building a funding formula for Rental Support Programs with the provincial government.

Mykytyshyn said more specific types of housing are needed, like permanent supportive housing, especially since Red Deer’s vacancy rate went from 10 per cent a few years ago, to two per cent today. He suggested that rather than putting people consistently in a shelter, the City should model programs like the Community Wellbeing and Safety Assessment and Environmental Scan in Lethbridge, which saves the City money by working with individuals to get them back on track.

PARTNER-LED ADVOCACY

The priority aims to work with other Chambers of Commerce to change public attitudes on new housing developments and encourage provincial and federal governments to incentivize developers with various tax credits and Public-Private Partnerships (P3) on projects.

COMMUNITY-LED ADVOCACY

Radford said everyone who is interested should sit at the table, including those with lived experience and church groups, who used to be the main source of help for those in need when demand was more manageable.

She added, education on homelessness should be in every aspect in the community, from youth to seniors.

“In Red Deer, we have people couch surfing from place-to-place because they don’t have a home. We have people staying in sexually and physically abusive relationships because they have no where to go. We have people that are one paycheque away from being evicted,” said Mykytyshyn.

“Some of those people work for you. They don’t tell you; they don’t want you to know because it brings shame, embarrassment, and fear. Homelessness is much more than any of us see.”

The full report and feedback opportunities can be found on the Chamber’s website.

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by Alessia Proietti

Red Deer’s Task Force on Homelessness recommends new non-profit take over responsibilities from City

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