Amethyst House going strong one year after opening

“Originally, I thought it’d be a bigger challenge than it was. We were thinking about what we would do if everyone got sick at the same time, how we would staff the building, and how it could spread like wildfire within the building. But we’ve been fortunate. We’ve had some close contacts and people with symptoms, but we haven’t had an actual case.”

Amethyst House is a repurposed hotel itself, with rooms going for around $530/month. They are intended for folks with a history of homelessness.

Stewart says throughout 2020, certain rules were put in place related to the number of guests allowed, they hired extra casual staff for backup in case COVID took hold, and tenants were limited in their use of the downstairs workout area.

The community kitchen program intended to be run out of Amethyst House has also not reached its max potential, Stewart explains.

“That program actually got funding from the Red Deer and District Community Foundation. They were so excited to support it,” she says. “The tenants were going to call it ‘Culinary Gangsters,’ but had to cancel it, and then we started it in the fall very minimally. However, we couldn’t bring in outside folks to help like we had originally hoped.”

Food has been donated at times, she adds, so two people will go down to cook a meal, and then dinner is delivered to tenants’ rooms.

Stewart says that in the meantime they do have plenty of ideas they’re working on implementing, though the pandemic is making that a challenge.

“We also still have some vacancies; around eight,” she shares. “To get in, you have to have a history of homelessness, you go to Safe Harbour to do an intake and they will match people with the appropriate housing program.”

She says between COVID precautions that are in place, a small number of people who have passed away from opioid use or other causes, and deciding whether the building is accessible enough for certain applicants with physical or mental health conditions, some units have remained or become empty.

She also notes how the pandemic has caused mental health problems for some people and even driven them to first-time opioid use.

“It’s tough for sure, and reducing the amount of visitors they can have has been very tough on people. With some of the people who’ve passed, it did rock this community because they were people we’ve housed for years and years,” shares Stewart.

“Generally, the tenants who are here are very happy with the building and staff members are very grateful for the space. We’re in a pretty stable spot right now and we’re going to tackle things that COVID forced us to put to the wayside.”

That includes a partnership with Alberta Health Services and its Street Connect program which aims to reduce barriers for vulnerable people seeking health and medical support.

Stewart adds that they haven’t received any complaints from nearby residents or businesses.

“I feel like peoples’ fears were understandable, but that we’ve done a good job with being great neighbours and doing a good job with our property. We reached out to those around us and we’ve kept our site approachable and friendly.”

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Amethyst House going strong one year after opening

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