A look at the shelter Ryan Drummond recently built to help some homeless people in Red Deer. The shelter has since been reported to the City of Red Deer. (Photo: Jason Hives)

By Troy Gillard

trying to help

Red Deer man building temporary homeless shelters for others

Aug 28, 2019 | 8:21 AM

A Red Deer man says he plans to continue building temporary shelters to help the city’s homeless.

Ryan Drummond has himself been homeless since the friend he was living with recently moved to Calgary.

The 45-year-old was living out of his car when he decided to build himself a shelter. But his focus quickly changed when he came upon some others he wanted to help instead.

“I met up with some people I knew that have fallen on some unfortunate circumstances themselves and were homeless,” he explained. “I felt bad for them because they’re good people. They’re not alcoholics, they’re not mentally ill, they’re just regular people.”

Drummond, who runs his own interior detailing business, used his own tools and donated materials to build an elaborate shelter hidden in the bushes at the bottom of the hill behind Parkland Mall.

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The multi-level shelter was reported to the city after it was discovered and pictures were shared on Facebook last weekend. City crews attended the location and gave a 72-hour eviction notice before the shelter was to be torn down.

But Drummond, who already has two other shelters on the go, won’t be deterred.

“If it’s something temporary that people can use, then I feel that I am helping,” he says. “(These ones) are a little smaller and better situated than that last one, hopefully a little more secure.

“I don’t want anyone to stay in them that are going to leave garbage in them, attract attention and have traffic in an out. I want them to be respected and the people I know that I can give them to are that kind of people who would respect them and use them for what they are – temporary shelters.”

Bobby-Jo Stannard, the City of Red Deer’s acting planning manager says that while Drummond’s intentions are good there is a proper process in place to help rough sleepers.

“It really is a process to connect those individuals with actual housing services. (Our) goal is to get people into homes and find them the best and most appropriate housing for them,” she explains.

“The coordinated entry phone number at Safe Harbour is 403-347-0181. We just encourage anyone experiencing homelessness, or knows someone that is, to contact that number so we can help provide support and help provide a path to hopefulness,” she adds.

“I know there are programs that are there to help people. I’m not trying to knock what’s in place it just that I don’t think there’s enough being done,” says Drummond, who he spoke this week with a representative of the city’s social planning department.

“The waiting list for housing is two or three years. That’s all fine and dandy, but what am I going to do right now.”

Currently, there are 42 people on the waitlist for transitional housing in Red Deer.