Edmonton City Council is taking a leading role in addressing the homelessness crisis, with strong support from the business community. A recent committee meeting heard that a coordinated Community Hub response is needed, bringing together both business and homeless support advocates to tackle the issue effectively.
Council Explores Fully Funded Community Hub Program
Last week, the Community and Public Service Committee unanimously passed a motion from Mayor Andrew Knack to explore either a year-round Day Shelter program or a full-out Community Hub program. The proposed $6.5 million plan will be discussed as part of the next four-year budget deliberations.
Mayor Knack emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "The number of people dying on our streets has gone up from the 30s every year to over 300. We need to treat this like the crisis it actually is. We need a war-time effort to make progress on this — and we can do it." He added that the city and provincial government are aligned in their desire to act, but stressed that budgets must match their words.
Personal Story Highlights Crisis
Jordan Reiniger, executive director of Boyle Street Community Services, shared a personal story that underscored the severity of the crisis. While driving his children home from swimming lessons, his daughter noticed a man lying on a staircase. "She said, 'Daddy, I don't think that guy's okay — I think he's dead,'" Reiniger recalled. The man was unconscious but alive. "We have spent so much time — unintentionally, maybe — treating people who are most in need of safety as the threats to safety. People were walking by — and there's a man who is literally dying."
Daytime Spaces as Essential Safety Net
Reiniger noted that daytime spaces alone won't solve homelessness, but they are a critical part of the social safety net. He pointed to the Thunderbird Centre as a model of how community hub spaces work in practice. Greater coordination between all levels of government and community services is needed to give people a chance to escape poverty.
Business Community Backs the Motion
Support for the motion came from across the board, including the Edmonton Downtown Business Association (EDBA). Operations director Braede Harris explained, "The lack of day spaces is evident through our data and interactions. When there are limited daytime options available, pressure shifts to public spaces that were never designed to function as social service environments." Libraries, transit stations, parks, pedways, and business storefronts become default places where people spend their days.
Harris added that the EDBA funds its own "Core Patrol," which conducted over 1,900 wellness checks between January and May. More dedicated day shelters would take pressure off Downtown businesses, which currently spend significant amounts on security and support services.
Mayor Knack also noted that council received a letter from the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce pushing for community service hubs, and he hopes they will follow up with the provincial government.
Councilor Highlights Existing Costs
Coun. Jon Morgan, speaking in support of the motion, pointed out that the city and ratepayers are already footing the bill for homelessness in various ways. "We're paying for this already," he said. "By way of first responders, stress leave, maintenance costs in our public spaces, loss of participation in transit system, encampment clean-ups and more."
The committee's decision marks a significant step toward a coordinated response to homelessness in Edmonton, with both city leaders and the business community working together to find solutions.
