Over 77 guests stopped in at the Prince Albert Grand Council Urban System building Saturday night after it recently opened its doors as a temporary warming centre.
“That’s our highest number yet,” said Salvation Army Maj. Ed Dean.
It comes after the lone warming centre in Prince Albert, run by the Salvation Army, was reduced to ashes hours after serving hundreds plates of Christmas dinner to those in need.
The Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD) said that the incident happened just before 8 p.m. Thursday. When crews arrived they found the building engulfed in fire and heavy smoke, CBC News previously reported.
The fire department said crews were successful in limiting the spread of the fire and damage to adjoining buildings. The warming centre’s building, however, sustained heavy damage and is expected to be considered a total loss.
The last few days have been filled with the helping hands of community members, who Dean says have come in to help maintain the temporary centre and take care of those using it.
Even guests have come back after their 10 a.m. closing to help clean up.
“We haven’t had to do it all,” Dean said. “We’re grateful.”
Kimberly Jonathan, Director of the Indigenous Relations with the YWCA and member of the Prince Albert Grand Council, received a call about the fire Thursday night.
She was not prepared for the seriousness of what she saw when she arrived at The Salvation Army building to find it engulfed in flames.
Jonathan made a few calls and it wasn’t long before stakeholders for the centre got together to come up with a plan for the way forward. Jonathan said the group recognized how big of a loss the warming centre was to the community.
“What was very heartwarming, was that we were able to not have a delay in services. We opened the doors almost immediately to the guests that were needing warmth,” said Jonathan.
Stakeholders of the centre released a statement on Friday announcing the temporary shelter at the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Urban Services building.
It will be available for use until Jan. 2 and run each night from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
“The community knew it needed to step up and we needed to offer them space to regroup over the holidays,” Jonathan said.
Volunteers have poured in from all over the city including organizations like the YWCA, Prince Albert Security and the Prince Albert Grand Council.
Jonathan said nobody knew how a temporary shelter would turn out, but trusted in the good intentions of people.
Many people have come by to drop off items including food and clothing in support of the Salvation Army. Jonathan said there are also people who have rolled up their sleeves to help cook and serve meals to guests.
“There [were] a lot of tears, there was a lot of sharing, there was just being together,” Jonathan said.
Guests who have come in to use the temporary shelter have been “so grateful.” She said there have been many who have come in with red hands from the cold weather who are so thankful for the chance to warm up.
“The environment is full of gratitude, the environment is full of helping each other,” she said.
There have been many conversations around what next steps for the centre will look like after the temporary shelter at the PAGC Urban Services centre closes Jan. 2.
While Dean assured services will still be available, it’s the matter of finding a permanent space to operate.
“It’s just patience, one thing at a time,” he said.
Dean started to go through inventory Saturday morning, picking out what he will require for the new centre, after the Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD) deemed the last building a complete loss.
At the same time, he says, many people are offering what they can to help them in the rebuilding process.
“It’s a team effort,” Dean said.
Many heads will be involved in deciding where the centre is moved to next, and Dean said that picture should look much clearer in the few of days.
Despite the uncertainty, he says he is interested to see where they go from here, even as they “journey along the way.”
“This will be a marathon. It won’t be a quick run to the finish line.”
