Here are some of the ways rural Alberta is tackling rural homelessness

Two Alberta municipalities are tackling rural homelessness in unique ways as the issue becomes more visible, due to issues with housing as well as greater awareness.

Funding for homelessness can often focus on urban centres and money from all levels of government is neither consistent nor timely, leaving some rural communities left to fend for themselves, community advocates say. 

In Edson, Alta., a town approximately 200 west of Edmonton, community advocates have fundraised and received money from the town council and the provincial Rural Development Network to open up five shelter pods — small, heated spaces with enough room for a sleeping mat, fire alarm and charging outlets. Each small space roughly 1.5 metres (five feet) by 2.4 metres (eight feet).

The pods, which are only open at night and located at a recycling depot, are meant for individual use, but it isn't unusual to find multiple people inside one. 

"Most of the time, we have a bulk of probably 20 individuals that are using [all the pods] on a regular basis," said Erica Snook-Pennings, a registered social worker who helped spearhead the project. 

The pods, which cost around $105,000 to build, opened in mid-July and this will be the first winter that they will be in use, in an area that sometimes sees temperatures dip below -30 C. 

Clients who are interested in using the pods line up outside since they are first-come, first-serve. At 8 p.m., they press a button that calls a volunteer, who then opens the door remotely. So far, the need already exceeds the demand.

Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara said economic activity in the area with energy projects means hotel rooms and rentals are no longer as available as they once were, making the homeless more visible to the community.

"We don't have the capacity as they do in the larger centres or the volunteer base to assist in those matters. So it's quite an acute problem and we are just trying to manage the best we can," Zahara said.

About 140 kilometres northeast of Edson, community advocates in the town of Whitecourt, Alta., have converted a motel into transitional housing where clients can live for six months to two years.

Shelagh Watson of the Soaring Eagle Support Society, a non-profit that works with the vulnerable in Whitecourt, said 30 people have lived in the Eagle's Nest motel since it started housing clients in May. A handful have since transitioned into permanent housing. 

Clients range from 30 to 60 years old, according to Watson. Some have addiction and mental health issues, while others are experiencing financial hardships.

"Housing is what they need more than anything. And so, just to be able to provide that stability so that people can move forward with their lives is encouraging," Watson said.

However, Watson only has enough money, accumulated through grants and donations, to keep the site running until the end of December. She has yet to hear back on whether she will receive federal funding for the project; a decision on that is expected in March.