Summerside overnight emergency shelter now open, says province

A long-awaited overnight emergency shelter in Summerside is now open, the P.E.I. government said late Thursday afternoon. 

The 10-bed shelter at 25 Frank Mellish Dr. is meant for people in and around the city who are facing homelessness, and will be open seven days a week from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.

It will also allow shower access a couple of times a week for vulnerable Islanders who aren't staying there overnight but have nowhere to clean up.

"[The province] had staff on site in the community for the last little while now doing outreach to our homeless population, and there's obviously eagerness as the weather's getting colder for that population to have a place to go," said J.P. Desrosiers, Summerside's deputy chief administrative officer. 

"At the end of the day, I think it'll mean a little bit of hope… and a safer environment for those individuals living rough in our community." 

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.

P.E.I.'s Department of Land, Housing and Communities said in a news release that beds can be booked for up to 30 days at a time by calling the province's shelter support line at 1-833-220-4722.

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.

The province had hoped to have the new shelter up and running last winter, but was not able to secure the proper building permits from the city in time. 

The city issued an occupancy permit for the shelter on Thursday afternoon.

Desrosiers hopes the shelter's opening will alleviate some of Summerside's homelessness pressures for both housed and unhoused residents. 

"For those residents who are witnessing homelessness around our city, it's an unnerving feeling for them," he said. 

"We're wanting to show some compassion, but there's a limit to what people can do, so I think this shelter will be a welcome addition to our city and hopefully a safe environment for those who really need it."