More than a year after the downtown Remand Centre closed, and all inmates moved to the new facility, an Edmonton organization that helps the homeless is utilizing the facility as an overflow shelter.
Hope Mission said starting this weekend, the old Remand Centre will be used as an overflow space, to give the homeless a warm, safe place to sleep.
Those who sleep at the facility will spend the night on mats, and will get a blanket and a bagged meal.
The organization said this year they have seen some of the highest numbers of homeless individuals seeking their services in their 85 year history – in November, more than 600 people per night on average slept at Hope Mission, with as many as 645 sleeping there.
“We know that going into the winter it’s only going to get busier, we need the space to accommodate people, so that nobody has to spend the night out in this cold,” Robin Padanyi with Hope Mission said. “Thankfully we have the space here at the old Remand Centre to make sure that people have a warm, safe place to sleep.”
Those numbers are expected to go even higher after the day-long snowfall left a fresh blanket of snow around the city, and temperatures on the weekend expected to plummet.
The gymnasium at the old Remand Centre will be utilized by the organization starting Friday night, and Hope Mission plans to continue operating the overflow shelter through the winter.
With files from Danelle Boivin
