Wheatland Crisis Shelter, SOS partner to help community

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Even though the Strathmore Overnight Shelter (SOS) is a month away from opening its doors, the organization is already receiving an influx of calls from surrounding areas, RCMP, socials workers, churches and even from the United States.
Meanwhile, people in need have been mistakenly directed to the Wheatland Crisis Society in Strathmore believing it to be the overnight shelter.
With similar missions of helping those down and out, the shelters have teamed up and are now hoping to educate the public on their differences to better serve those in need within the community.
“We absolutely believe in what (the Strathmore Overnight Shelter) is doing; we just want to let the community know the differences between us,” said Wanda McGinnis, chief executive officer with the Wheatland Crisis Society. “The last thing we want is to leave a perception in the community that a) we’re not supportive of each other, and b) that neither of us is able to help anyone. Nothing feels worse than showing up on a doorstep and being turned away. It looks bad for my organization and it also looks bad for the homeless shelter if that’s where they think they are and then can’t get in.”
The Wheatland Crisis Society, which has been in operation for the past 25 years, had to turn away three individuals since Christmas, although they made efforts to keep the individuals safe. The society provides programs and services to men, women and children affected by domestic abuse or who are facing a crisis. The 31-member staff at the Wheatland Crisis Society are required to have a degree or diploma in social work or other human services, have first aid training, child welfare intervention checks, criminal record checks, extensive crisis intervention training through the Trauma Research Institute and are trained in suicide intervention. The 21-day shelter offers food, crisis counselling, life skills training, childcare, and referral and support services.
It also has client priority with men, women and children experiencing domestic violence at the top, then single men and women suffering from domestic violence, followed by men, women and children who are in a crisis, and finally single men or women in a crisis. Yet with only 25 beds, the shelter is usually at capacity and does not accept individuals at the door.
That’s why when someone is privately directed to the facility – whose address is not public for the safety of staff and clients – and shows up on the doorstep, it poses challenges for the organization and the individual.
“We’re excited about this partnership because the reality is a lot of our clients come to the community and if they are our lowest priority we do want to help them. But if we’re full to the rafters with domestic violence matters and we have to move people along, then it’s nice to know that there is another resource,” McGinnis said. “We don’t do any admissions at the door … that’s to maintain the integrity of the security that’s in place and whoever is in the shelter already. So that creates some frustrations when people show up at the door and then they leave quite disgruntled. It’s really taken us by surprise when we have people showing up at our doors and I think that’s coming from community referrals who are just confused about what the differences are.”
In comparison to the Wheatland Crisis Society, the Strathmore Overnight Shelter will be a five-day stay shelter for only men and women – no children – housing a total of 10 beds. The organization is volunteer-based, with two volunteers on each shift, and focuses on the programs and services already available within the community. Unlike the Wheatland Crisis Society, SOS accepts people at the door.
“When you look up shelter, it’s the crisis shelter that comes up – understandably so – and they’re not reading the differences before they show up,” said Elizabeth Karp, pastor of the Harvest Healing Centre Church and executive director for SOS.
“The crisis shelter has been a huge help to us. It’s been great working together because we’re working for the same goal; we have the same mission ultimately. We obviously serve some of the same people, but when it comes to kids and domestic crisis, they have their resources much better at their fingertips and that would be the place for me to send those people.”
Karp said she has been receiving between one to six phone calls a day with people trying to find accommodations.
Confusion and frustration has also arisen concerning donations, where those who thought they had contributed to the Wheatland Crisis Society instead donated to SOS and wondered about their tax receipts.
More information for the Wheatland Crisis Society can be found at strathmoreshelter.com or by phone at 403-934-6634.
The Strathmore Overnight Shelter is expected to open at the end of March. More information can be found on their website (strathmoreovernightshelter.com).