A year-and-a-half-long push by the Drop-In Centre to get homeless Calgarians into their own housing has resulted in a 47 per cent drop in chronic homeless clients, the facility says.
Sandra Clarkson, executive director of the shelter, said the number of chronic users peaked at 433 but has dropped to 240 as of June. The shelter defines chronic homeless clients as someone who’s visited the shelter more than 75 per cent of the time — or 267 days — in a calendar year.
“Prior to making our shift to being a housing-focused emergency shelter, a lot of those people had been living in shelter for many, many years — some, for decades,” said Clarkson. “We recognized we wanted to provide more than emergency shelter and move beyond just the provision of basic need, and really intentionally shift our strategy to getting people reintegrated and reconnected to the community in homes that worked for them.
“In the past, I think that the Drop-In Centre has always been a place that welcomes everybody and welcomes people where they’re at — that, for me, hasn’t changed (but) what has shifted is the conversation.”
But chronically homeless people aren’t the only ones Clarkson said the shelter has helped house. In the past 18 months, 542 people found a new home.
It’s due in large part to a one-time funding boost from the Calgary Homeless Foundation, allowing 111 people to be housed. Over a five-week period in early 2019, funds were used to help secure first and last month’s rent, damage deposits, utility arrears, moving costs or transportation back to people’s hometowns.
“It was all hands on deck to try to get as many people connected to housing as possible, it was phenomenal,” said Clarkson. “What it showed us is that those flexible client funds are critical components for really helping people who have a financial barrier.
“One of the biggest things that has really changed in the community over the past decade is that now there are specialized housing programs that exist. Ten years ago they didn’t, so there was nowhere for those people to go, which is why they lived in shelter. It really comes from the belief everyone has a right to a home. Our goal is to ensure everyone finds their home.”
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Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
