Surviving Edmonton: Social agencies and government explore challenges facing unhoused people

A recent documentary has experts sharing potential solutions about how to help people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton.

Global News Investigates: Surviving Edmonton provided a deeply personal look into the lives of unhoused people in Alberta’s capital.

Four people welcomed our team to document their search for stability and housing.

That included Edmonton couple, Troy Cardinal and Leanne Wuttunee.

During the course of filming, the Global News crew lost track of Cardinal and Wuttunee.

Three days before Surviving Edmonton aired, the couple surfaced.

The pair had stayed for three months at the site of the former Sands Inn and Suites. The Indigenous-led shelter spaces are meant to help people get on track to permanent housing.

Cardinal and Wuttunee said they didn’t want to follow the program requirements. They also couldn’t stay together in the units as a couple.

A representative for NiGiNan Housing Ventures said the group does its best to accommodate couples, but if a couple cannot be accommodated they will be put in different units. While they are unable to comment on individuals staying at the space, they said there are rules to abide by and if a couple is not able to follow them, they cannot stay in a unit together.

“We just ended up leaving,” Wuttunee told Global News Friday.

1:03 Previously homeless Edmontonian talks about first stable housing in 4 years

Cardinal and Wuttunee are now back on the street.

Cardinal said he remains focused on ensuring he and Wuttunee can stay together.

“I’m alright if she’s okay. I’m just worried about her. That’s it,” he said.

The path from unhoused to housed is complicated for this couple as well as hundreds of others living in Edmonton.

Aidan Inglis with Boyle Street Community Services said there is no solution that will work for everyone.

“What might work for one person at one point changes after a year. It changes after six months,” he said.

“That’s normal for everyone. People of all socioeconomic backgrounds decide to move, decide to change things up. There’s this idea that folks who [experience houselessness] shouldn’t want more than what everyone else looks for.”

Inglis said unhoused people often need repeat interactions with social service agencies or supports for change to stick.

“We want to keep with a housing-first approach,” he said. “But we are looking at options that have the ability to flex with the individual. We don’t want to see people to be in shelters long-term. That’s not good for their health. We want them in housing.”

Housing is just one part of a complex challenge for social agencies and governments to tackle.

Social, economic and cultural supports all tie in, too.

1:51 4 levels of government meet on Edmonton homelessness crisis

“Housing is not the cause of homelessness,” said Alberta’s Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jason Nixon, whose portfolio includes housing. “We are dealing often with heavy addiction issues, significant mental health issues. We need to address all of those issues and housing has to be part of that.”

He pointed to Edmonton’s new navigation centre as part of the government’s solution. He said 700 people have come through in two months, with 2,200 service interactions provided.

“Sometimes it’s going to take more than one try to see someone have success,” Nixon said. “With the navigation centre, that support happens right there.

“You have to get people housed, I don’t want to diminish that. But, the theory that housing alone is going to solve this is just not true.”

Minister Nixon told Global News Tuesday that the housing file has only become more complicated.

“We’re working with people who often have had severe trauma in their lives that need help,” Nixon said. “The Alberta government message is we just want to help individuals.

“The way forward on this file is to bring everybody who cares about this population together and work together in a united way to get individuals support.

“Unfortunately, we won’t be able to solve it for everybody, but I believe we can solve it for the majority if we keep working hard.”

Watch Surviving Edmonton:

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