Inn Left Out in the Cold

Calgary- The province of Alberta has rejected a $2 million request for funds made by the Calgary-based community group Inn from the Cold.

The decade old community group helps find families temporary emergency shelter by means of an extensive community network. Currently, there are over 85 Inn from the Cold locations and the organization has a rotating volunteer staff of almost 4000 individuals.

Lindsay Blackett, Alberta's Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, in part denied the request because the government grant in question is only awarded to organizations that have "strong community support".

With such a large volunteer base and cooperation with an impressive variety of inter-denominational churches, synagogues, community associations and organizations, it would be interesting to find out exactly which community Mr Blackett is referring to.

Inn from the Cold, while helping house families 365 days a year, has never operated its own permanent shelter. It has always relied upon an ever-growing network of locations to find desperate people a safe place to sleep for the night.

The plan for the new shelter involves a location at 11th Avenue/Centre Street (currently the location of Centre 110 - a transitional housing unit for men), capacity for 60-90 people, and centralized services.

With overall homelessness in Calgary rising by 18% over the last two years, and family homelessness rising by 36% during the same period, the need for both transitional and permanent housing is greater than ever.

The Albertan community group had already raised $4 million of the $6 million needed to fund the initiative. While IFTC had been hoping that the government would pick up the remainder of the cost, the provincial rejection is not a death-blow to the project.

Gary Nissen, owner of Dome Britannia Properties, stepped in with a $2.5 million profit-free loan after the Mr Blackett's verdict. Mr Nissen's generous loan will allow the project to continue, but it will also burden the charitable organization with a large debt for the foreseeable future.

Mr Blackett, who also questioned the location of the planned shelter and its overall design, did, however, leave the door open for future collaboration. He said that his Ministry would review the project again if IFTC submitted a new proposal that addressed the concerns he brought up.

There has been some speculation that the grant request had been denied because of a lack of interest from the Calgary Homeless Foundation - an ambitious initiative founded to end homelessness in Calgary. The CHF has a strong 10-year plan that incorporates aspects of the private sector, community groups and the government in the fight against homelessness.

Dermont Baldwin, executive director of the Calgary Drop-in Centre, raised the issue that the CHF is drowning out some of the voices in the community. Based on the government's decision not to fund this project, Mr Baldwin might have a valid point.

If you'd like to contact Mr. Blackett and ask him more about his reasons for rejecting the grant, you can find his information here:
Lindsay Blackett Contact Info