Former hotel converted into housing facility for at-risk Edmontonians

When it’s a lethal cold in Edmonton, housing can become a life-and-death issue.

A former hotel in the city was transformed into a supportive housing facility for those who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness.

The Mustard Seed Prairie Manor first opened its doors in the summer. It’s now at 70 per cent capacity, providing homes to those who need it most.

“As the days get shorter and colder, these homes will provide residents with a warm and safe place to live,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “But this is not a shelter. These are permanent homes.

“Housing is critical infrastructure, and we need to start treating housing like we treat other infrastructure.”

Sohi says while having a place to call home is important, the city also needs “wraparound services.”

“For mental health, for addictions and recovery, for trauma that people are facing, or have faced because of the circumstances they have been put through, because of society,” said the mayor. “So we need those wraparound services.”

The facility has 85 units and floors dedicated to individuals with mobility restrictions, women and sober living.

More than half the suites are reserved for Indigenous People – a group that also makes up more than half of Edmonton’s homeless population.

Randy Boissonnault, the minister of tourism and MP for Edmonton Centre, says “everybody deserves to have a roof above their head.”

“How do you live if you don’t know where you’re putting your head down at the end of the day? We have too many people on our streets who are wondering how they are going to survive tonight.

“I don’t want people living in shelters, I want people to have a place like Prairie Manor to call their home.”

Staff are on site at Prairie Manor 24 hours a day, and residents can receive a range of support services to prevent re-entry into homelessness or extreme poverty.

“It builds that self-efficacy for people, it makes them proud of the space they get to live in,” said Stephanie Kurach, the Prairie Manor site manager. “And being a part of the community, this programming space, building on meaningful daily activity, purposeful living, it’s a huge point in the right direction for their wellness.

“They are finally building connections again with their families, literally just looking at a resident their skin colour has gone back to something more healthy, they’re more nourished, they’re well rested, you can see people have made themselves comfortable here.”

The facility is one of eight projects being funded by the City of Edmonton and the federal government as part of the Rapid Housing Initiative.