Frontrunner emerges in search for a permanent shelter location in Prince Albert

WATCH: The results of a city-led consultation revealed a city-owned lot near the downtown fire hall is the leading option for a permanent emergency shelter.

A lot on the corner of 15th Street East and Central Ave is the front-runner for Prince Albert’s permanent emergency shelter site, based on the results of city consultations.

“All the services are around there, it’s accessible,” said YWCA Prince Albert CEO Donna Brooks.

“The other thing is, it gives us maybe the opportunity to lease the building next to it while the shelter is being built.”

The city’s report says these results consider 12 months of correspondence from the public, an online survey, and four public consultation sessions held in January attended by 300 people.

Nearly 80 per cent of survey respondents indicated their least preferred location is within a primarily residential neighbourhood.

The YWCA says the current shelter it operates at the exhibition grounds is no longer suitable, due to issues with mold and health concerns.

“Any location that we have the opportunity to get into immediately, or be adjacent to immediately, works well for us,” said Brooks.

Councillors will discuss the consultation results at an executive committee meeting at City Hall.

“Hopefully the city chooses a location. And once the city chooses a location, then we can work with Sask. housing with building a permanent [space], or renovating a facility,” said Brooks.

The consultation report says there’s a high risk the province will not continue to hold funding to relocate the emergency shelter if the city doesn’t come to a decision soon, given the funding has been available for over 12 months.

CTV News reached out to the Prince Albert Downtown Improvement District to comment on the consultation results, but it declined.

Representatives from the City of Prince Albert were not available for comment by time of publication.