Lethbridge homeless support facilities expanding [Video]

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. –

Lethbridge has seen its population of people experiencing homelessness increase significantly over recent years, but help is coming, as construction is underway on an expansion of the Lethbridge Shelter.

The $5.4 million project is expected to start taking in clients in February. It would push the shelter’s capacity from about 120 to over 200.

“We’ll start at the 200 spaces and then we do have an overflow capacity, and we don’t really know exactly what that will look like at this time. However, we’re in the making of some plans for contingency around that,” said Suzanne Buchanan, director of the stabilization unit at the Lethbridge Shelter.

Attached to the shelter is the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen. In anticipation of the shelter’s expansion, the soup kitchen is working on its own expansion project.

Private donors have contributed over $400,000 to expand the soup kitchen by 39 spaces.

Construction is expected to begin …