“People that would not traditionally be able to afford the market rate right now, but they deserve housing,” he said. “They should not be in the shelter in the first place.”
The Mustard Seed sent a letter out asking for feedback from neighbours and community members. They plan to keep the neighbours updated on their progress and welcome any feedback. He explained that their goal is to benefit the community, not hinder it.
They hope to have the two homes operational by March 2026.
“The solution to homelessness is housing, so as an organization, we’re trying to get more housing in Red Deer,” he added.
The Mustard Seed is a faith-based non-profit organization that’s served people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Alberta for 40 years. The Red Deer location has been around for eight years.
Their goal is to offer people not only a safe place to stay but support that helps them move forward. In Red Deer, they offer a 24/7 housing-focused shelter with around 46 beds that provides emergency needs such as showers, clothing, and three meals a day.
They offer a drop-in space from Monday to Friday where people can stop by, have coffee, talk to staff, and get referred to different agencies.
They also offer a community meal service three days a week, where approximately 150 people come out to receive a meal cooked from scratch. On that same note, they also offer a school lunch program, where this past September, they made over 10,000 lunches for 55 schools in central Alberta.
With winter around the corner, they’ve been stockpiling winter clothing to ensure those in need can stay warm. However, since the temperature has already dropped, their stock has taken a hit. They’re calling on the community to bring winter items to The Mustard Seed during their drop-off time from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
“During the warmer months, we’re still busy, but in the winter, the need is there because when we’re at capacity, we know that people are truly suffering,” Kraushar added.
During the winter, they try to welcome as many people inside as safety regulations will allow, but they unfortunately still have to turn people away.
On average, they’re turning away around 70 people per month in the winter.
Located just outside the downtown core, the majority of people who use their services come from downtown.
With the construction phase of the rehabilitation of the CPR Pedestrian Bridge underway, he said it has impacted their clients’ ability to reach the shelter as quickly as they typically do by five to 10 minutes.
There has been a delay, but Kraushar said they haven’t seen a drop in numbers. The City of Red Deer provided alternative road maps for some of the guests that’s posted in the shelter.