Tackling the issue of homelessness in the community is a prime topic of interest for social workers in North Battleford.
Sheldon Gattinger talked about the status of a homeless shelter in the city at the annual Social Work Week luncheon hosted by the Battlefords branch of the Sask. Association of Social Workers. Social Work Week ran for March 17 to 23.
In his address March 19, Gattinger said there was a need to address the homeless situation in the Battlefords, but made clear he was seeking help and ideas on how to overcome some of the obstacles in the way.
"How to meet that need is really the wall that I'm at and that others are at right now, in terms of funding, in terms of support, in terms of sustainability," he told the noon-hour audience at the Battlefords Family Health Centre.
Gattinger is pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, which has been interested and active in efforts to address homelessness. He has been one of the individuals behind efforts to get a transitional housing project off the ground that would address the homeless situation.
That effort was in addition to separate efforts that were going on around the same time as the Reclaim Outreach Centre attempted to open up a permanent homeless shelter - an effort that ran into troubles due to funding and the difficulties of getting the building they wanted to use up to the fire and building code standards.
"I quickly discovered homelessness is an issue in North Battleford," said Gattinger.
He noted the homeless population here is comprised of a large transient population, people with no fixed address who might stay on people's couches, and tourists who hitch a ride to the city and find they have no way to get back to where they came from.
"It hit a critical mass - what are we going to do with homelessness in the Battlefords?" Gattinger said.
A working group was formed, and a corporation was formed 18 months ago called the North Battleford Transitional Housing Corporation.
Still he noted the frustrations of the process. One obstacle is the lack of sympathy many homeless people face.
Gattinger noted it was a reality that the vast majority of homeless people are single men.
"A single able-bodied male does not engender sympathy in people," said Gattinger, who said people are reticent to help as a result. The reality of the culture, Gattinger noted, is to say to homeless people "you've done it to yourself."
"The idea of helping someone it seems does not need help in peoples' eyes is a long bridge to cross," Gattinger said, who nevertheless said "I feel a call to help them."
As for efforts to get their project off the ground, Gattinger noted his own group ran into some issues of "NIMBYism" - Not in My Back Yard - from concerned business groups in attempts to secure a possible downtown location for their project.
The main obstacle in the end, though, was financial.
Gattinger's group received considerable local support for their efforts and he said he's been busy writing letters to MP Gerry Ritz, Premier Brad Wall and others. It was noted that Indian and Northern Affairs Canada had some grant money available and were willing to take proposals, so an application was made.
The effort received letters of support from local agencies such as the Gold Eagle CDC, the Battlefords Trade and Education Centre, as well as from the City of North Battleford.
"Things were going along really well," Gattinger said. But then the letter came back denying funding approval.
"That took the wind out of our sails," noted Gattinger. His group had applied for funding in the same pool as Reclaim Outreach's application that was also turned down.
"We have put a lot of effort into this, we have put a lot of work into this, and we were really excited for the opportunity to create this centre," said Gattinger.
Gattinger acknowledged finances were the biggest obstacle in addressing the homeless situation locally. He noted his group was in a difficult position, noting "raising money for able-bodied males, for transient males, is very difficult."
He also acknowledged the funding issues that are constantly faced to keep open the Battlefords Indian and Métis Friendship Centre's temporary shelter.
He encouraged the audience to provide their feelings, their stories, any words of encouragement.
"I'd just like you to know we're trying. I don't know what the future will hold," said Gattinger.
