Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

A location for the crisis centre’s safe shelter project is a hot topic in town, and council has received a report on the progress after a recent meeting.

Council passed a resolution at a meeting on June 25 to establish a community committee chaired by Mayor Rod Perkins, and in conjunction with the West Central Crisis and Family Support Centre, to work expeditiously to find a suitable location for the centre’s project.

The project includes a new outreach building for the centre, and a new women’s shelter. The project was being proposed for a parcel of land north of Caleb Village, but citizens in the area contested the location citing safety concerns.

Perkins said the committee had a good meeting the week before the council meeting on July 16 when a report on the progress was to be provided in accordance with the resolution in June. He noted that there was a good turnout and a representative from the women’s shelter in Melfort was there to answer questions.

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Michelle Weber, the executive director for the crisis centre, was at the council meeting and she told members she did not have to twist the visitor’s arm to get her to come talk to the committee members in Kindersley.

The mayor said he believes an outburst he made has helped to encourage citizens to take action. Perkins said the committee discussed several potential locations and different locations were eliminated while committee members expressed an interest in others.

He said there were a couple of sites where he believes the project will receive less resistance from the community. He referred to a parcel of land south of a site where plans were to build townhouses. Perkins said it is a matter of finding an acceptable location, and “I think we’re on the right track here.”

Weber said the centre’s safe shelter is a community project, so it makes sense to have the community involved in the discussion. It was recognized that the community’s reaction to the women’s shelter project was predictable.

She told council that a Saskatchewan Housing Corporation official referred to Kindersley citizens who contacted her as “high-spirited individuals.” Weber said Sask. Housing is worried about the project ending up near a highway such as Highway 7, so any site by the highway will not work.

The ministry of justice has concerns about the project being east of the train tracks because ministry officials believe it would be better close to shopping centres and the hospital, she said. Safety must be a consideration.

Weber said it is uncommon for police to be camped out in front of shelters. She noted that police response times in Kindersley are a concern, so a location west of the tracks would be ideal. However, she said east of the tracks is not out of the question.

A location by the train tracks was discussed, but noise is also a consideration. Weber said the main considerations are the safety of clients and for the shelter to be in a residential area. The committee had a positive meeting.

“I was excited about the meeting,” the centre’s executive director said, recognizing that the most important part of the project at this point is to find a location for the shelter. “I think it went well.”

The crisis centre’s current outreach office was compromised by the severe storm on July 10, so the organization was searching for rental space at the time of the council meeting, Weber said. Local companies have expressed an interest to support the shelter project, and they will get a chance in the future, she noted.

Mayor Perkins said the committee had several operational questions for the shelter representative from Melfort. He said she told the committee that the community had its concerns when the project was proposed, but the women’s shelter is getting great community support.

Melfort grew from four people to 54 people in the first four months after opening. According to Perkins, the committee is making progress. He told Weber she could rest assured the town is behind the project.

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