Some business owners are setting aside their concerns and welcoming the Mustard Seed’s proposed sober shelter site at the old Western One building in Lethbridge.

The Mustard Seed is planning to open Lethbridge’s only sober shelter at 110 13 St. South, where individuals recovering from addictions or are substance-free can find the resources and support they need. 

Duncan Vincent, owner of Custom Indoor Grow says he is concerned with the proximity to his business, but he doesn’t think it will cause too much of a disturbance. 

“I obviously have concerns of it being 100 feet from my front door, but beyond that, I think it’s a really good location,” said Vincent. “It’s obviously a needed social service; there’s a serious lack of shelter space in Lethbridge. The existing shelter, from what I’ve heard from multiple homeless people, is a complete nightmare, people are afraid to go there because it’s way over capacity.”

Businesses in the area were contacted by Mustard Seed in January regarding the proposed sober shelter site. Kelti Baird, owner of Theoretically Brewing says she also has some concerns but is looking forward to working with the Mustard Seed. 

“The lot behind us is a great location for the shelter. It’s an underutilized property. My only concern with it is the size of the building for what they want to do, but if planning says that it’s an appropriate size, that’s fine. I think that for our area for Lethbridge, it’s right beside the 13 St. underpass where a lot of people walk through. It’s very accessible and it’s very visible.”

Byron Bradley, managing director of central Alberta and Lethbridge at the Mustard Seed, says the existing shelter in Lethbridge has some of the highest utilization numbers in the whole province and has had that for a number of months.

“The Alberta government wanted us to come down to Lethbridge back in November to open up a temporary site and we were unable to secure a temporary site with the City of Lethbridge. We’ve been very anxious to open something up; the conditions for people currently is not very good, there’s COVID-19 outbreaks, people do not have enough space during this pandemic and even with the pandemic aside, it’s too overcrowded.” 

Bradley says the sober shelter will be operational 24/7, providing individuals with support, security and a variety of services. 

“We are merging with the soup kitchen on April 1 and so three meals a day will be provided from the shelter. They will be moving from their current location into our location once we open, which is likely going to be happening in the summertime. We will have a support team that will be there to support people, to do some case management with them, to help people face whatever barriers have them facing homelessness or poverty.”

Baird says the feedback people have provided to her regarding Mustard Seed’s operations has been positive and she doesn’t believe her business will be affected by the proposed shelter. 

“I reached out to other businesses in other cities where the Mustard Seed operates. I contacted about 20 businesses and heard back from most of them and none of them had any complaints about the Mustard Seed operations. So, the Mustard Seed has a proven track record on responsible operation of the shelter.”

Theoretically Brewing and the Mustard Seed have also been talking about activating the alleyway between the two properties, as it is a non-driveable alleyway, to create a community garden.

“We’ve been talking to the Mustard Seed about transforming that space into a community garden, utilizing some of our off-cast waste from the brewing process, including our water and hopefully getting them to do a program where everyone is involved in caring for the garden and then that produces food for the kitchen, so that’s an exciting opportunity for us,” said Baird.

A public hearing is set to go in front of city council on March 23. If council approves re-zoning of the property, the Mustard Seed can proceed with the purchase. Mustard Seed says it will then begin roughly two months of construction before opening. Mustard Seed says it encourages businesses and citizens to reach out if they have any questions.