A strong stand for the city's most vulnerable
Navigation centre is transforming people's lives, Jason Nixon writes.
Alberta's winters are harsh, and the simple reality is that living on the street in encampments during the cold winter months is dangerous. Temporary structures provide no adequate protection from the cold, and suggesting otherwise is not only misleading but outright irresponsible.
Recent claims made by pro-encampment activists that the navigation centre has done little to assist Edmonton's most vulnerable do not reflect the success we are seeing. These activists argue that the navigation centre duplicates existing services, but they overlook a crucial point: before the centre's establishment, at-risk individuals faced barriers in accessing the supports and services they needed, which were often scattered across the city. The province responded by creating the Navigation and Support Centre as a one-stop hub to bridge these gaps. The reality is the navigation centre has delivered vital services to thousands of Edmonton's most vulnerable and stands as a model being replicated across Alberta and the country.
Today, the centre is open to all vulnerable Edmontonians in need of supports and services and will not turn anyone away. With over 3,100 individuals provided with supports to date, the success of the centre speaks for itself.
These activists have also incorrectly stated that there has been an increase in the number of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness. However, the data they cite actually refer to the number of individuals accessing supports. This increase highlights the unprecedented success of the navigation centre in being able to reach unsupported individuals and is a reflection of the success of the centre's work.
Before the centre, encampments in Edmonton were dangerous, unwelcome havens for gang-run extortion, human trafficking and drug peddling. The most vulnerable members of our communities were facing constant abuse and exploitation by gangs, they were facing freezing temperatures, and they were burning alive in fires. These conditions made it abundantly clear that encampments are not a safe place to sleep, nor are they a safe place to live.
These activists, while seeking to preserve encampments, are prioritizing their agenda over the immediate needs of Edmonton's most vulnerable. It is a sad reality that these misguided efforts are casting doubt on the services available in the city and possibly putting Edmontonians at risk.
We have seen first-hand how effective the navigation centre is through real stories. In the case of an Indigenous woman who left an encampment and came to the centre seeking support, workers were able to reach out to the woman's sister and found out that the woman's family had believed that she had been missing and likely dead for over a decade. Within hours this individual was provided with ID, enrolled in financial benefits, and her sister picked her up from Edmonton to bring her to an addiction recovery treatment facility close to home. These are the real lives that are being transformed.
The reality is that shelters in Edmonton are open 24/7, turn no one away, are well utilized daily and operated by dedicated staff and volunteers that are ensuring everyone who needs a warm, safe place to stay in the city has somewhere to go.
The good news is, the Navigation and Support Centre has made meaningful change in the lives of Edmonton's most vulnerable by connecting them with much safer housing services — certainly safer than a dangerous, freezing tent. And 92 per cent of individuals entering housing with access to supports remained housed.
Our government is committed to the navigation centre model and will keep building on this success. We will not, under any circumstances, revert to allowing encampments to endanger the lives of at-risk Edmontonians. We won't turn our backs on the most vulnerable and will continue our work to support Albertans experiencing homelessness, in Edmonton and across the province