Leduc dedicates $1.3M over 3 years to enhance programs, services for homeless population

Leduc city council meets on Feb. 13, 2023. (CTV News Edmonton/Sean McClune).

Leduc is hiring two more workers and cementing plans to support homeless people this coming winter.

In a media release Tuesday, the city of 35,000 south of Edmonton next to the international airport said it is hiring additional staff to support those already in place and making one formerly temporary position permanent, among other program enhancements.

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“It’s important that we continue to care for the vulnerable members of our community and provide a diverse, multi-faceted support system,” Mayor Bob Young said of the $1.3 million in service enhancements over three years in the release.

“These service enhancements will help mitigate risks for the unhoused in Leduc, support access to pathways out of houselessness, and allow us to better support the community during times of extreme weather.”

The city is hiring a second life safety and navigation coordinator and a second community safety officer full-time while making the current community safety officer permanent.

It is also launching a pilot program to help reduce housing start-up costs for the vulnerable population and to help those who cannot access traditional financial aid programs maintain their housing.

Coordinating regional political advocacy and formalizing extreme weather activation procedures are also on the city's list. 

The moves come two months after Leduc city council reversed a decision approving a winter emergency shelter.

Arguments from councillors that sought to reverse the approved plan included the $308,000 price tag to operate the shelter for an estimated 15 nights a year when the temperature falls below -20 C and wanting to explore more comprehensive options.

Leduc's lone year-round, around-the-clock shelter shut down in May after its landlord refused to extend the lease.