EDMONTON -- The homeless camp in Edmonton’s river valley is planning to close this weekend.
More than 100 homeless people have been staying at Camp Pekiwewin since the summer.
Now residents will transition to new shelters in the city, including a south-side warehouse, Commonwealth Stadium and a temporary homeless shelter at the Edmonton Convention Centre that opened on Oct. 30.
Eighty-five thousand square feet of space at the event centre will house up to 300 people, officials estimate, although opening capacity will start at 160.
Outreach and social services at the Pekiwewin encampment will end.
The city provided the camp with basic necessities for cleanliness and sanitation in August, including masks and funding for portable toilets and garbage cans.
But Mayor Don Iveson was committed to finding a long term solution before winter.
The convention centre shelter will remain open until March 31, 2021.
The temporary accommodations will use $8 million in funding that was provided by the federal and provincial governments to help cities respond to COVID-19.
The City of Edmonton will also reallocate an additional $500,000 from its 2020 budget to help support the shelters.
Roughly 2,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Edmonton.
