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By Josh Ryan, battlefordsNOW
The Lighthouse Serving the Battlefords is closing this spring.
In an announcement Friday, The Lighthouse Supported Living said that due to substantial funding changes, they can no longer operate an emergency shelter program at the Battlefords location. The shelter is set to close on April 1.
Don Windels, Executive Director of the Lighthouse, said they received letter on Feb. 16 from their funders, saying the funding would end after March 31. A federal program called Reaching Home is where the funds were allocated from.
“They have a higher need in the North, so they are funding capital projects there, ” Windels said.
In the release, Lighthouse officials said they remain committed to the mission of ending chronic homelessness in the city of North Battleford, and will continue to explore emergency shelter funding sources and partnerships. Windels said they’ve already met with the city to discuss further options.
“They don’t have the funds we need to operate, but they were very supportive,” he said. “We talked to multiple groups and will look for other partnerships within the city of North Battleford.”
Transitional and supported housing programs will continue to operate without disruption.
The Battlefords location first opened in 2015, after the Lighthouse Supported Living Inc. was approached by community leaders in North Battleford to open a permanent emergency shelter. Renovations were done to the Reclaim Outreach Centre at 963 102nd St. in North Battleford.
Windels said, the funding for shelters needs to change moving forward in order to stop the number of people that fall through the cracks of federal and provincial funding. He suggested core funding for shelters as an option.
“So that we don’t run into these issues and can serve individuals that need to be served without having to chase the money.”
Meili calls for action from province
In a media release following the news, Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili issued a statement, saying the provincial government has ignored the needs of communities like the Battlefords.
“It is unacceptable that the Sask. Party government would allow the crucial work the North Battleford Lighthouse does in service of the most vulnerable to be shut down due to lack of funding,” Meili said.
The Opposition leader added he was calling on Premier Scott Moe to ensure proper funding is immediately put in place to keep the North Battleford Lighthouse open.