Edmonton about 500 shelter beds short as homeless count doubles in 2 years
CTV
The City of Edmonton is trying to figure out how to make sure everyone is sheltered from the cold this winter, after the number of people experiencing homelessness doubled in just two years.
The City of Edmonton is trying to figure out how to make sure everyone is sheltered from the cold this winter, after the number of people experiencing homelessness doubled in just two years.
A city report released Tuesday found that there are 2,800 people without housing in Edmonton, which is the most since 2014 and twice as many as in 2019.
About 1,600 of those people are considered "preliminarily housed," meaning they are staying with friends and family or temporarily finding space without a secure lease.
Roughly 1,200 overnight shelter beds are needed in Edmonton – but officials found there were only 713 spaces available on Oct. 1 – and more may be lost because of uncertain funding.
"We need immediate support to house people during this winter," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.
"When you look outside, it's just terrifying that people could be sleeping on the streets and not have a warm, safe place to go to."
Funding proposals were pending with the province Tuesday which could bring the gap down to about 350 spaces short.
