Estevan eased into the shelter business this past weekend.
People who have been sleeping in vehicles or having to resort to paying for a motel room, or couch surfing, now have alternative sleeping arrangements, if needed.
Only one man took advantage of the Estevan homeless shelter offering that began Saturday, Dec. 1, but volunteers in the program are expecting demands will grow as the mobile population becomes better acquainted with the temporary program and what if offers.
"It might take a few visits before the people who use the program learn about how they'll be treated and what to expect," said Marian Huber, one of the shelter co-ordinators who volunteered her time and talent for Saturday and Sunday night.
"If we had had a blizzard, we probably would have had a few more," she said.
"These people also have to think about whether it's a good idea to move from a vehicle into a shelter for a night or two, then back to the vehicle," she said since the shelter is only available from Thursday night to Sunday night at St. Paul's United Church in the central part of the city. Due to other church programs, staffing and funding, the shelter can't be offered on every night of the week. The program will end in the spring.
"So far, it's not a typical shelter concept. The one man who used it on the weekend is working at a full-time job, but if you're making $12 an hour and have to pay $90 for a motel room for one night, well, you see the problem," said Huber. The man did not own a vehicle, so that option wasn't available to him. He carries his belongings in three bags and tries to find a secure place for them when he's at work.
"We had lots of food. Southern Plains Co-op donated that, St. Paul's provided their centre and a secure place. We can house both adult men and women. We're not set up to accept families with youngsters. We would have to refer those to the Salvation Army. They have tracked about 10 to 14 adults who they figure might be able to make use of the shelter and Estevan Police Service has identified a few more than that," said Huber.
By having just one guest, it allowed the volunteers plenty of time to iron out any perceived glitches and arrange for changes when four, five or 10 people arrive to seek temporary accommodations.
Both male and female volunteers were available to fill the later hours.
"We don't have a safe house in Estevan any more either, so that issue, as well as not being able to take in children under this arrangement, are a couple of things our board will have to address, perhaps with Victim Services," said Huber who noted that Carol Knievel has been contracted to serve the program as hostess for the rest of the winter and she is the only person who is paid even a little for this. All the others are doing it as volunteers.
"The United Way is the major sponsor so far. Salvation Army, the churches are supporting it too," said Huber.
"We do think we'll have more this weekend. I think right now people who do know about it might be a little scared, thinking maybe they have to share their story or something, but that's not what it's about. It's there to provide a safe place to sleep overnight and then we have to honour St. Paul's needs in the mornings and vacate after cleaning up," Huber added.
"I'm kind of glad we didn't have 20 people the first night because we needed to figure out what we'd need to do differently if we needed to provide a safe house environment," she said.
Knievel and Huber have worked in homeless shelters before. Huber said she spent hours in an Edmonton hostel for several years and never felt insecure because the people who use the facilities, "Get it." They know what it's about and whether it's alcohol, drugs or whatever ... they abuse the situation they're out. They know it."
There could be a regular cycle of users in Estevan until they find housing, Huber said.
The committee received some hospital beds that had been retired from use at St. Joe's Hospital, which meant easier cleanup in the morning.
"Our one guest appreciated the effort. He refused our offer of hygiene products like shampoo and toothpaste because he said he had all that stuff, so it was just a matter of giving him a bed for a couple of nights," said Huber.
"I expect there will be nights when no one will need to use it, others when it could be busy. Those who use it knowing that it's not available every night have to consider whether or not they should bother using it ... how it could help them. The opportunity to get a little laundry done, that alone might convince them it's worthwhile."
This coming weekend, the Estevan shelter at St. Paul's will be open all four nights ... Thursday through Sunday and with the weather turning a little bit nastier, the expectations are that this will drive a few more people into the facility in search of warmth, good food and a cadre of well intentioned volunteers.
