The Lloydminster Men’s Shelter transformation was front and centre on Oct. 6 as the Rotary Club of Lloydminster heard from executive director Kagan Kneen.
Lloydminster Region Health Foundation CEO Stephanie Munro asked Kneen to explain the recent changes she saw in the area.
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Munro explained when she went to pick up her running package from the shelter, she couldn’t believe how clean that part of town had become.
“No people are loitering around,” said Munro. “It looks beautiful.”
Kneen noted that the shelter underwent a significant shift in how it serves its clients and manages the surrounding area over the past year. He said that community members have noticed a considerable difference.
“We’ve had a lot of changes happen,” he told Rotarians. “There’s been a lot of changes in our staff, in our clientele, and in the way that we operate the shelter.”
He said the shelter has introduced stricter policies to keep residents, staff and neighbours safe. Including, if you don’t want to be involved in making your life better, you can only stay for 21 days. Then you can’t reapply for another six months to use the shelter again.
“Accountability is a huge part of what we’re doing now,” said Kneen.
It would go even further if they had transitional housing units to send residents to who are working to improve their situation.
“If you’re active in addiction, you have a lease, you break a policy, you’re out,” explained Kneen on the process of an individual in that type of housing. “Now you’re back in the shelter, is that what you really want?”
He also addressed some of the concerns about so many people in active addiction in one area. This was some of the reaction to the recent transitional housing proposal.
“The one thing people don’t understand is you could be going home to your home, your apartment, and your neighbour could be in active addiction, said Kneen. “You just don’t know it.”
He also highlighted improvements in security and communication with nearby businesses.
“We can see all around, not just our building, we can see a lot of the church, we see all of the neighbours, we see the dental office and all down the street,” he said. “If we see loitering, we send a text … to let the RCMP know to kick this person off your property.”
Kneen said those proactive measures are part of showing credibility to the community.
“I understand it,” he said. “I get that historically there’s been a lot of bridges that have been burnt, and that’s why I was brought on, to try to amend some of those bridges.”
The shelter is now pursuing federal housing funds to expand transitional units for clients seeking stability.
“As soon as I heard [the program] was launched, I sent them an email right away,” said Kneen. “We’re in the pipeline for hopefully something, but… we don’t have anything as a backup right now.”
Kneen says his door is open for anyone to come chat with him at the shelter. He’s also willing to meet people if they don’t feel comfortable. However, he’s had less than a dozen people take him up on that offer so far.
Kneen says they are there, they are listening, and they want to be a good neighbour.
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