Summerside emergency shelter almost ready to open, says province. 

Nearly a year after the P.E.I. government hoped it would be open, officials say an emergency shelter in Summerside will be ready in October.

Mayor Dan Kutcher said the services are needed, and he hopes the shelter will help more people get out of the cold this winter. 

"We hear quite a bit about those struggling with housing and security, those who are unhoused and those who are on the precipice of that," Kutcher said. 

"This can really help someone, whether they're out for a few days or a few weeks, [so] that they have somewhere to go to be able to bathe, to shower, to brush their teeth, to get back to work, and hopefully to be able to connect to services to get them back on their feet." 

The 10-bed shelter will be for people over the age of 18, and will be run by a group called the Equality Project, with oversight from the province. 

Shelters currently running in Summerside often fill up quickly. The Winter Street Men's Shelter, operated by The Native Council of P.E.I., is often at capacity.

"We're between 80 and 100 per cent full every night and it's been that way for the past couple of months," said the Native Council's Chris Clay. 

He hopes an emergency shelter will alleviate pressures on other services.

"You hate turning people away, especially as the weather's getting colder," Clay said. 

"It's another opportunity at 10 more beds up in Summerside. So it's 10 less people that will get turned away at night." 

Some have expressed concerns about the new emergency shelter's location, on Frank Mellish Street. A long-term care facility is close by, as are apartment buildings.

"We can make sure that the residents in the area are safe, that the site plan is designed in a way that it should hopefully work as best as possible with the neighborhood where it's going," Kutcher said.

"These are difficult situations. No one wants to see people struggling with housing ... to that degree." 

The province said it's in the process of hiring case workers and supervisors. There will also be an open house for people to see the facility and learn more about it. No date has been set for that yet.