Once housing upwards of 20 people, it now sits empty behind overgrown grass and chain-link fence in the town of nearly 7,000 people northwest of Edmonton.
Lynn Bowes, a resident of Slave Lake, Alta., poses for a portrait at a trail near a shuttered homeless shelter on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. She is one of many who called on the town to close the shelter due to a perceived spike in crime. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Sousa
However, figures show Slave Lake’s crime rate didn’t change after the shelter closed, said Slave Lake RCMP Sgt. Casey Bruyns. The only notable change is a slight uptick in suspicious person calls, he said.But others, including Mayor Francesca Ward, say the town isn’t capable of running the space, citing a lack of supports for homeless people struggling with mental health and addictions.
Bruyns, who sits on a social issues committee with the province and the town, said there’s an appetite to get homeless residents proper support, but what that looks like remains a wild card. “I’ve been looking after the homeless since 2017,” she said. “Never once did I feel I was going to be harmed.” “What’s going to happen this winter?” said Courtorielle. “I’m scared to think about what’s going to happen.”
However, figures show Slave Lake’s crime rate didn’t change after the shelter closed, said Slave Lake RCMP Sgt. Casey Bruyns. The only notable change is a slight uptick in suspicious person calls, he said.But others, including Mayor Francesca Ward, say the town isn’t capable of running the space, citing a lack of supports for homeless people struggling with mental health and addictions.
Bruyns, who sits on a social issues committee with the province and the town, said there’s an appetite to get homeless residents proper support, but what that looks like remains a wild card.
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