Buildings have arrived, but no operator yet for Summerside emergency shelter

Modular buildings that will be used as an emergency shelter in Summerside have arrived — but they aren't set up for operation yet, the P.E.I. government says. 

The province's Housing, Land and Communities Minister Rob Lantz said back in November that he wanted the shelter to be open before winter set in.

However, nearly a month into spring, the shelter still isn't open to support those struggling with homelessness in the Prince County city and the surrounding area. 

"I find it extremely disappointing, here we are halfway through the month of April. I have not heard any updates as to an opening date or who will be operating the new shelter," said Elysha Whitlock, who runs The Village, a volunteer group that provides winterized tents and hot foot to members of the homeless community in the area.

"My hope is we are not in the same position for next winter."

That's also the hope of Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher.

Back in January, Summerside council voted 6-2 to establish a 10-bed emergency shelter in the city, with conditions. Those conditions are that the provincial government provide a site plan, a security plan and establish an operator for the facility.

"We've been waiting to hear back from the province [about] who they are looking to select as an operator," Kutcher said. "It sounds like the money is there to do it, and the bump in the road here is finding the right operator, and that's really with the province."

Wednesday, Lantz told CBC News that the province is about to start the process of applying for a building permit with the city and will issue a request for proposals soon to find a contractor to set up the shelter.

He said the site plan will be addressed in the building permit process, and that a security plan will be "part and parcel" of the site design. 

Lantz acknowledged that it's been a difficult process to find an operator for the shelter, but that the province hopes to find one soon. 

"We are at the point that we should be able to finalize an operator here shortly, and if all things come together we'll get this shelter up and running very soon," he said.

"I had hoped we would have it sooner than now. We've had some issues along the way, but we've been able to accommodate people who require shelter in the Summerside area ... through our shelter support line and by using various resources in the community to put roofs over peoples' heads who require it."      

Throughout the winter, Whitlock provided insulated tents to those who didn't want to access other shelter services.