Mustard Seed Plan Gets Support

The Calgary Herald
Thu 16 Aug 2007

By,  Kelly Cryderman

Another leading homeless agency stepped into the debate Wednesday over

Calgary's planned temporary winter shelter, saying that the Mustard Seed

should be left alone to do its job.

At the same time as the head of the Salvation Army said attention is being

drawn away from the issue of a lack of affordable housing, a Tory cabinet

minister added his voice to the discussion.

Ray Danyluk, in charge of municipal affairs and housing, said Wednesday he

has confidence in the Mustard Seed -- the agency charged with administering

the shelter. Danyluk suggested the dispute could be part of a social agency

turf war.

"I really believe the agencies should be working in co-operation," Danyluk

said. "This battling isn't going to get us any place."

Dermot Baldwin, executive director of the Calgary Drop-In Centre, sparked a

war of words this week when he said homeless people will freeze out in the

cold or be forced into overcrowded quarters at his facility this winter

because the temporary shelter meant to house up to 460 will not be open

during the day from Monday to Friday -- unless the temperature drops below

-15 C.

On the other side, Floyd Perras, senior operating officer of the Mustard

Seed Street Ministry, said having the centre open during milder winter days

could be a disincentive for homeless people to get out and find work. He

said the temporary shelter will be open on weekends, and also throughout all

days for people who are sick or who work night shifts -- and there are

daytime programs available for anyone else.

On Wednesday, John Rook, chief executive of Salvation Army Community

Services, stepped into the fracas, saying Perras is doing a good job setting

up a temporary winter shelter in a light industrial area of Calgary's

southeast.

"Let Floyd run this. Floyd is awesome," Rook said, adding the dispute over

the winter temporary shelter's operating plan is "stupid."

Rook said all the shelters agreed that the Mustard Seed was best equipped to

manage the temporary facility.

"Most people who are screened for the winter project are working," he said.

"The few that aren't, they shouldn't just be lounging around."

Rook said the real problem is there's not enough housing for the working

poor, even as newcomers stream into the city.

"We need to push for secondary suites. We need to push development and build

things so people have a place to live. What we're stuck with now is really

the result of poor planning . . . (the drop-in centre) is overcrowded

because of the housing crisis."

He said the Salvation Army facilities can help with the daytime burden, and

questioned whether an overcrowding crisis will occur at the drop-in centre.

However, Baldwin said last winter when the old Brick building was used as a

temporary shelter -- but was not open during working weekday hours -- the

lobby of his facility was overcrowded with people who had no where else to

go.

"There is a lot of criticism of me speaking and that is unfortunate,"

Baldwin said Wednesday.

Baldwin found support for his position, however, from prominent New York

City researcher and social advocate Sam Tsemberis.

In Calgary on Wednesday to advise the Committee to End Homelessness,

Tsemberis said it was only humane to keep the winter shelter open during the

day.

"I don't think a shelter is a disincentive to go to work," said Tsemberis,

who has helped develop a program that sees homeless people with addictions

or mental illness quickly provided with affordable housing to give them

stability, before they begin treatment programs.

"If the expectation is about helping people work, it has very little to do

with the shelter. The shelter is a place just go in to rest for a little

bit."

Ald. Druh Farrell said both agencies do excellent work and they need to sit

down and talk if the city's homelessness strategy is going to progress.

"They need to get together and discuss it rather than negotiating through

the media."

Ald. Bob Hawkesworth said he wants the 10-year plan being developed to

eliminate homelessness in the city to eliminate homeless shelters as well.

"We seem to be going at the moment in quite the opposite direction, opening

shelters everywhere to cope."

Hawkesworth said he can see the arguments on both sides of the temporary

winter shelter debate.

"At this point I don't think it's up to the city to get into the middle of."

The temporary winter shelter will operate between Nov. 1 and May 1.

kcryderman@theherald.canwest.com