Homelessness in Meadow Lake raises concerns over lack of services

“We do have a significant population that we do serve at the Door of Hope that do deal with homelessness,” Bundschuh said. “Right now, I think the way they have been dealing with it is they’ve been staying with friends and family. To my knowledge, we don’t have anyone that is currently sleeping outside, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a possibility because it has been an issue in the past. As it gets warmer, it might become an issue again.”

She added she frequently receives calls from organizations and individuals informing her of someone looking for a place to stay. Bundschuh fields calls for the Hope Centre apartments “on a weekly basis” with people searching for emergency housing.

In her role with MLOM, Bundschuh oversees six separate departments; including the Door of Hope Soup Kitchen, the Meadow Lake Food Bank, Tiny Treasures Day Care, the Hope Centre Apartments, the Supportive Apartment Family Education program, and Thrift Mission. While MLOM offers support to those affected, the organization does not have facilities and resources adequate enough to serve as a shelter, leaving these people to fend for themselves.

“I’ve heard stories about people sleeping in garbage cans, especially the cardboard ones because they’re more insulated than others. In the summer months, when it’s spring and more mild in the winter, I don’t know if it was going on this winter, but in previous winters, ‘tent city’ is set up across where the railway tracks used to be.”

“It’s really hard to gauge when I’m not able to sit there and visit with the community like we normally can. With COVID, all of the responsibilities we have with sanitation and masks and all of that just made that a lot more difficult for us to have that communication with people.”

In a statement to meadowlakeNOW, the Meadow Lake RCMP stated the importance of the issue saying: “the RCMP recognizes homelessness as a significant problem in Meadow Lake. It affects all ages and creates instability for individuals and families. The Meadow Lake Detachment members understand that this is a social issue and that there are usually underlying addictions, mental health, or other social issues contributing to homelessness. The RCMP is not an agency to solve homelessness, but will work with community partners to help people in this situation.”

Over at city hall, Mayor Merlin Seymour claimed council has looked into ways to reduce the plight in the community, but hasn’t settled on any path to a solution. He clarified council would need to continue looking at what the options could look like down the road and that more discussion would need to happen before pursuing a resolution.

“It is a discussion that we’re having, but moving forward, we’ll have to see what we can do for the best of everyone. I know there is more than what everyone sees, but on the same token, agencies are working together,” said Seymour. “I don’t think you’re ever going to get rid of homelessness, but if we can work together with the agencies, [we can] make it better for the people that are less fortunate.”

Bundschuh explained offering assistance to those in need has been even more of a challenge with the COVID-19 concerns and public health orders. The office remains closed to the public and the Door of Hope is open for only two hours a day between noon and 2 p.m. With people overcoming more challenges now than this time nearly a year ago, Bundschuh believes housing in Meadow Lake needs to be prioritized.

“Sometime we talk to the Ministry of Social Services and we hear the same thing all around. There is definitely a crisis for housing in Meadow Lake. It definitely needs to be a priority,” Bundschuh said.

While a solution to homelessness in Meadow Lake remains seemingly distant, Bundschuh stated the effort from the community, local businesses and organizations continues to provide relief to the people affected and instill a strength in the community displayed through their contributions.

“We’ve got a lot of concerned citizens, I know that there are people that will privately take people into their own homes. The churches are very actively involved when they are called upon to help. There are different groups and organizations that have taken a lot of people in. But we really don’t have any resources outside that, and they are limited in themselves. I find Meadow Lake to be a very caring community, and when people are in need, they do step up. We’ve certainly experienced that through the pandemic.”

Anyone looking to support Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries can reach out to the organization through their website at https://mlom.ca/.

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Elliott.Knopp@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp

by Elliott Knopp

Homelessness in Meadow Lake raises concerns over lack of services

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