After facing supply chain delays, the Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre expansion is slated for completion by the end of the month, offering an additional 109 beds for the city’s most vulnerable community members.
The current shelter is currently equipped with 91 beds, but Blood Tribe Department of Health (BTDH), who operates the shelter, has a rule in place that no one who is need of a place to stay is turned away.
Get weekly health news
“We traditionally don’t turn anyone away,” said BTDH chief operating officer Kash Shade. “But when the extreme cold hits, we have to encourage everyone to come into the shelter.”
With province-wide temperatures reaching “extreme-cold” values over the next few weeks, the shelter is currently reaching over capacity on a nightly basis.
“Sometimes we’re seeing upwards of over 200 people a night here,” said shelter director Suzanne Buchanan. “We can’t get our expansion fast enough.”
Watch the video in the player above to learn more.