A zoning map of a region of La Ronge. Courtesy laronge.ca
It just got easier to provide shelter for the homeless in La Ronge.
Just last week, town council decided on a commercial zoning region as the spot where homeless shelters can be set up. The town previously had no zoning for what are called “temporary shelters,” which proved to be an obstacle when the Scattered Site Outreach was seeking funding to buy a permanent building earlier this year.
Councillor Jordan McPhail said they heard public feedback and concerns about the prospect of shelters going up in the general commercial region, which includes La Ronge Avenue near downtown, and council was split on the vote.
“It definitely wasn’t unanimous. We did have some people that were for and against it, as most motions do go. And I don’t think it was the idea of not having a homeless shelter in the community, just where the location of that would be,” he said.
The discretionary nature of the bylaw means proposed shelter sites will need to go through another phase of consultation before being approved.
“Council makes a decision as to whether or not we will allow it on that lot. So that will go to another public hearing and people will have the opportunity to voice their concerns,” McPhail said.
McPhail voted in favour of the bylaw at the Aug. 9 council meeting where the motion was passed, and was acting as the meeting chair and deputy mayor at the time. Mayor Ron Woytowich had declared a conflict and recused himself from the debate and votes throughout this bylaw approval process because he has been working with Scattered Sites.
McPhail said statistics from late last year show homeless numbers rose in the region around the same time services like a hot meal program, community garden and other “social development” programs started being offered in La Ronge.
He said it is common for people to move to communities where the services they need are being offered.
“I think that’s what created a bit of the controversy within this bylaw is that if we do create a homeless shelter, will it make the homeless population in La Ronge grow,” McPhail said.
Staff turnover at town office during the bylaw drafting phase dragged the process out for nine months, McPhail said, but with the third reading now complete all that’s left is for the province to approve the bylaw.
Applications for funding are currently in the works for a permanent Scattered Sites Outreach shelter building, but a specific site has not yet been applied for with the town’s zoning. The Scattered Site building on La Ronge Ave. offered 15 beds for homeless people at its building last winter (averaging around 12 people staying each night between Nov. and March), but officially there had not been any regions in town zoned for temporary shelter until now.