ATHABASCA — For many across Alberta and the country as a whole, early December is a time typically spent deciding on which recipe to make for the potluck, decorating the tree, walls, and halls, and making home a cozy place for Christmas.
Early December can also mean well-below freezing temperatures, dumps of frigid snow, and biting winds; conditions potentially fatal to Albertans without homes this holiday season.
Athabasca Cares Community Housing Society has ensured individuals in the area without a home have a warm place to stay overnight during the winter for five years. And this early December saw the shelter receive a boost in funding which means its clients won’t be left out in the cold during the day.
As of Jan. 1, 2025, the shelter will be open 24 hours a day, instead of the current 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. schedule. Co-founder of the non-profit Krystal Zahara said the expansion in operating hours will allow staff to better care for individuals in the five months the doors are open.
“All the clients seem to be really happy about it and relieved, and very excited that they don’t have to leave the shelter at eight in the morning” said Zahara.
“As you can imagine, it’s not nice getting up at seven, getting ready to leave for the day to spend the day out in the cold. So it’s been a big relief for clients, for staff, and for the board.”
The extra funding — to the tune of $45,000 — comes by way of the Reaching Home grant, funded by the federal government and distributed to rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in Alberta through the Rural Development Network.
A majority of the money, or $40,000, is slated for staffing wages and operational costs for the shelter, and the remaining $5,000 is reserved to cover food for clients.
Zahara said staffing expenses to run the shelter nightly from January to end of March can reach between $40,000 and $50,000.
And while the extra funding won’t cover necessary expenses like insurance and utilities like heat, water, and power, Zahara said the shelters fundraising coffers are far from empty, thanks to the generosity of local individuals and organizations.
“In the last two months, we’ve received thousands,” said Zahara. “I can’t really guess, but it’s been a lot.”
The non-profit has generated financial support from community members through a monetary donation program, which allows locals to set up one-time or reoccurring donations, and also did a December 50/50 raffle.
TC Energy gave a cash donation of $5,000, and dollars collected at both the Community Christmas Dinner and the Chamber of Commerce’s Gala went towards the shelter.
And there’s been no shortage of in-kind support, either: Tamarack Valley Energy donated multiple boxes of non-perishable food and colourful quilts were made by Quilting for Humanity, and community members have dropped off coats, mitts, boots, and toques for extra protection against the cold.
Athabasca Regional Waste has also placed a dumpster on site for easy trash disposal, and Done Right Contracting has also volunteered snow removal services for the winter.
“It’s huge, because the funding agencies want to see a contribution from the community,” said Zahara. “The funding agency looks at that and says, ‘Ok, we need to support this because not only is the need there, but the community is seeing the need.”
Zahara said while negative attitudes around and perceptions of homelessness are still present in today’s Alberta, she feels as though the local community as a whole embodies a different take on the issue, as evidenced by the ongoing support for the shelter.
“I think what’s going on in Athabasca only happens in small towns. Look at what’s happening here — you have Mark Neaves donating a house to us. You don’t see that kind of support in a big metropolis area.
“People come in, they have a coffee, they build relationships and make connections at the kitchen table with our staff, and it’s just so special.”
She said regulars have come to treat the shelter as more than only a place to stay, but a place to call their own.
“I drove by (the shelter) and one of our clients stopped in to shovel the sidewalk. The shelters not even open,” said Zahara. “There’s a sense of ownership and a sense of pride over this place; they know what they have is very special and they show that in their actions.”
