The Clearwater Regional Housing Foundation (CRHF) is backing away from plans to purchase a facility that would have housed a winter warming program and temporary shelter in Rocky Mountain House.

The organization had secured a conditional offer this spring to purchase a property at 4407 45A Ave., behind the Petro-Canada station on the town’s east end.

Although the town of Rocky Mountain House issued a development permit, several public complaints were subsequently filed with the town’s Subdivision Development and Appeal Board (SDAB).

Residents raised concerns about crime and safety, as well as whether a shelter was a good fit for the industrial-heavy area in the first place.

Adjacent landowners were also consulted. While many acknowledged the community’s homelessness challenges, several nearby business owners argued the proposal lacked sufficient security planning and could worsen existing concerns, including aggressive panhandling affecting businesses and residents.

A total of nine letters opposing the site were received while a petition collected 65 signatures.

Ultimately, CRHF chair Kandis Stradecki said the SDAB’s June 1 decision approved the building for use as a warming shelter but denied the rooming house component — a critical element of the proposal.

The rooming house component was denied because a more permanent shelter was deemed incompatible with land-use regulations in the area.

Building would have been ideal

Despite stepping away from the property, Stradecki said the building could have effectively addressed multiple community needs.

The two-storey facility was envisioned as a temporary warming shelter, or mat program, on the first floor, with a longer-term safe-space shelter on the second.

In consultation with Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter, victim services and the hospital’s emergency department, Stradecki said the foundation has identified several gaps in local services.

She said some entire families occasionally require longer-term shelter, while others simply need a temporary refuge from the cold and a hot drink.

Not giving up

CRHF views the development as less of a setback and more of a “first round” of community consultations.

Stradecki said the board will meet to discuss how best to proceed.

Next steps include consultations with town and county councils, further engagement with the community and the search for a shelter location that works for all stakeholders.

The organization has also explored how the potential future Tamarack Transit System could support the project.

CRHF will hold its AGM on June 22 at the Mountain Rose Centre and is inviting anyone interested in serving on the board or supporting the shelter initiative to attend.

Starting in 2024, a warming shelter was facilitated at the Lord’s Food Bank. However, Stradecki says a shelter will not be returning to that location as it doesn’t fit the mandate of the food bank, nor does it adequately meet needs identified over the past two years.

“We know that the need exists, and we want to be able to address that,” Stradecki said.

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