Clearwater County has approved a one-time $17,000 contribution to Rocky’s cold weather warming shelter.
The motion, which was narrowly passed by council, would see the funds come out of an $80,000 contingency fund, which was already accounted for in Budget 2025.
Financial Services Manager Rhonda Serhan says $17,000 would otherwise be a brand new service level for the county which would be borne entirely by ratepayers, and cautioned that future requests for funding are nearly inevitable.
The request originally came from a delegation that appeared before council on Jan. 14, asking the county to provide a contribution between $8,000 and $17,000 to allow the shelter to have some certainty when planning for winter 2025-2026.
The organization previously secured support from the town of Rocky Mountain House in the form of $300 contributions when temperatures dip below -20°C. The town also helped the organization with insurance costs.
Local organizers have announced the winter warming shelter at the Lord’s Food Bank will be open every night during the winter season. (David Mark Carter/The Lord’s Food Bank)
While expressing concerns about “provincial downloading”, Councillor Genny Mehlhaff says it’s important for municipalities to look after its most vulnerable, but suggested pressuring the province to contribute more to local social programs.
Councillor Jordon Northcott expressed frustration at the ‘doom loop’ of increasing taxes on residents, which he says leads to inflation, which in turn increases the demand on social services. He adds, he’d like to see more investment in determining the root causes of social problems.
While expressing compassion for vulnerable residents, Councillor Neil Ratcliffe inquired if many of the people using the shelter were county residents. Mehlhaff says by the very nature of them being unhoused, they are likely not ratepayers anywhere at the moment.
Council agreed, however, with winter temperatures set to plummet by the weekend, that time is of the essence.
Deputy Reeve Daryl Lougheed says the provincial government should look at bolstering programs like Family & Community Support Services (FCSS), but it’s not going to happen by the weekend.
Supporting the motion, Lougheed described the county as “prosperous” and a “compassionate community”.
While cautioning about describing the funds as a “band aid”, Reeve Michelle Swanson criticized higher levels of government for not doing more to support social safety net programs like FCSS.
A separate motion called on the county to draft a letter to higher levels of government to address the issue by not only reviewing funding, but also addressing root causes.
The shelter, located at the Lord’s Food Bank along 52 St. in Rocky Mountain House, will be open from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. nightly throughout the winter.
–
RELATED
–
Comments