ATHABASCA – A local humanitarian was recently honoured for her role in running Athabasca’s emergency winter shelter for the unhoused.
Krystal Zahara, co-founder of the Athabasca Cares Community Housing Society, was one of 75 Albertans to receive the Community Wellbeing Grant from Alberta Blue Cross in September.
The grant, which commemorates Blue Cross’s 75th anniversary, included $1,000 for the organization, as well as $1,000 for Zahara, although she says the money is going right back into the foundation.
“It’s lovely to be recognized, I’m incredibly honoured to have been recognized by Alberta Blue Cross,” said Zahara in an Oct. 4 interview. “We’re planning on using that money to help our clients with some transportation needs, that’s something that can be challenging in Athabasca.”
The shelter, which will start up Nov. 1, will be running seven days a week this year, operating for 11 hours a day. While the hours haven’t been fully set, the shelter will be running from 8 or 9 p.m. to 7 or 8 a.m.
Zahara said the society had opted to keep the location of the shelter semi-private last year but concerns over accessibility have led to a change in approach. The location, on the west end of town near Tizzco’s Riverside Machine & Welding, can pose problems for clients when it comes to healthcare access.
“Last year we had some clients that wanted to access rehabilitation and treatment facilities in other communities, and we didn’t have a means of getting them there,” said Zahara. “It’s something that we’re going to dedicate more time to it. There’s also instances where people are admitted to the hospital and then have nowhere to go. We just want to provide more access to people.”
Athabasca Cares is actively recruiting seasonal staff, including the program coordinator. Part of the success of the program last year came from having experienced staff who were able to deescalate situations. According to Zahara, the shelter didn’t have to call an ambulance or the RCMP once during the previous year.
“We need to have four positions for the program to run, as well as a couple of extra people who could fill in casually,” said Zahara. “It’s really important for us to recruit people that have that experience, that are trained in the field. It’s about safety of our clients, as well as the safety of the community.”
“The clients are so respectful of the program, they know that they can’t mess it up,” added Zahara. “They’re so great, they respect that house like it’s their home. We’ve built some amazing relationships with some people that access this program.”
Funding is always a concern for the non-profit, although corporate donations and grant funding have enabled Athabasca Cares to expand its work. Despite the increase, Zahara said the board is always looking to do more.
“We got some extra money from TC Energy, so we were able to add in the extra three days of operation each week,” said Zahara. “Last year it didn’t feel great to only open four nights a week, it felt okay. The next step is to be open during the day, but we have to reduce harm where we can, most critically, before we start to think about those next steps.”
With winter coming, Athabasca Cares is looking for donations — winter clothing in good condition is always in demand, but Zahara said anything helps when it comes time to pay the bills. She encouraged anyone with questions to reach out to her at [email protected].
