By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

smooth, respectful handover to hope mission

Safe Harbour holds ceremony to mark transition of shelter services

Mar 25, 2026 | 10:29 AM

Partnership, collaboration, optimism, dignity, and compassion…

Those are the types of words people heard if they were in attendance this week for a ceremonial handover of Red Deer’s temporary emergency homeless shelter, from the longtime caring grasp of Safe Harbour Society, to those of Hope Mission, which are purportedly equally so.

Safe Harbour has operated some form of shelter service in Red Deer since the early 2000s, and in Railyards since 2020; it was announced in December, however, that their agreement with the provincial government to continue doing so would expire March 31.

Also part of that announcement was that Hope Mission, which has operated on a much smaller scale in Red Deer for many years, would take the reins.

The ceremony was led by Elder Lynn Jonasson, who shared teachings from the White Bison Wellbriety program.

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It was also a chance to reflect on all the hard work done, and on what it means to close one chapter while simultaneously starting a new one.

“We’re not disappearing; we are a partner of Hope Mission, and our collective goal is to make sure they know we’ll continue to support them,” Kellu Steele-Stanton, Safe Harbour executive director, tells rdnewsNOW.

“Managing a large-scale, low-barrier shelter was never our core business. Our core business is medical recovery, and being an Indigenous-led mental health and recovery centre.”

Steele-Stanton says Safe Harbour will provide overlap support as the transition occurs in the coming days, and notes that Hope Mission has hired several people from Safe Harbour to continue working at the shelter.

She also says letting go of the shelter responsibility will mean Safe Harbour, which is located across the street, can focus more on those core services.

That includes detox, outreach & diversion, Indigenous support, and helping people find a way into housing.

But, and it’s a big ‘but,’ saying ‘see ya later’ to the shelter is an emotional moment for Safe Harbour staff.

“It’s really about respect for the work. The work has required compassion and resilience, plus a deep commitment to meeting people where they’re at,” she says.

“Our shared responsibility with this transition and across the system of care is to continue our commitment that everyone will be treated with dignity and respect. We’re always going to acknowledge the really great resilience of everyone who’s worked in that space.”

Credit, she says, also goes to Recovery Alberta, Primary Care, and Bowline Recovery.

Sadly, Steele-Stanton shares, their work has meant watching at least 27 shelter users pass away over the last year. She emphasizes those deaths are from a variety of causes, and far from being solely substance use-related.

“It’s a result of health care and the challenges we see right across Canada,” she says. “Those people mattered and they had a home here in the shelter.”

Ade Adeoye, director of emergency care and housing at Hope Mission, will be helping to lead shelter operations.

He says many items will begin to be moved in March 25, and that includes brand new bunk beds, replacing the single-style sleeping arrangements that have been offered to-date. Capacity will be around 200, with the ability to add surge spaces, when necessary.

But the aforementioned deaths and the ripple effect they’ve had and will have isn’t lost on Hope Mission, he says.

Like Safe Harbour in Red Deer, Hope Mission in recent years launched a rapid response team in Edmonton, so they are familiar with the goal of preventing unnecessary fatalities.

“We will have a team on-site, at the ready, making sure that if there’s a drug poisoning, for example, people can be resuscitated. Generally, having extra sets of eyes and ears to monitor the wellness of folks, in and around the shelter, I think will help in preventing fatalities,” he says.

Hope Mission’s structure is broken into four pillars, Adeoye says: preventative care, emergency care, restorative care, and follow-up care.

That means users can expect services including landlord mediation, eviction prevention, shelter, emergency care, mobile outreach through the rescue van, referrals to recovery programs, mental health supports, social work, and help with housing.

“Going through this transition with Safe Harbour, it’s been amazing seeing the heart and the care for the community, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. Kelli and I have met every week for the past five weeks, and it’s clear they’re committed to the work of serving community members,” says Adeoye, who has significant experience working at Hope Mission’s Edmonton operations.

“As much as there is a transition in shelter operations, Safe Harbour is going to continue to do good work.”

As for Hope Mission’s final pre-opening message to the public, Adeoye says the goal is to help people where they are, but the work can’t stop there.

“Shelter is a critical gateway, and the first point of contact with people who are experiencing crisis to then access services, but we do believe shelter is a stop gap measure,” he says.

“Our goal is to serve the community as best we can, assessing needs, providing solutions through a trauma-informed lens, and not just throwing blanket solutions at people. A whole lot of things we’re bringing to Red Deer is based on our experiences in Edmonton and Wetaskiwin.”

Learn more about these two organizations at hopemission.com and safeharboursociety.org.