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Mayor suggests some progress in Lighthouse discussions

Apr 28, 2016 | 6:00 AM

The situation at the Lighthouse homeless shelter in North Battleford appears to remain precarious, but the mayor says funding talks have apparently made some progress.

In his monthly report to city council, community safety coordinator Herb Sutton said staff from the Lighthouse cannot confirm it has sustainable funding to continue operations. The situation first came to light in February when the shelter said lost 90 percent of its provincial funding. The government said it did not cut funding, but clarified it would only cover emergency costs until an individual’s eligibility is determined.

The Lighthouse referred a request for an interview yesterday, April 27 to the shelter’s parent organization in Saskatoon, which had not responded by deadline.

“In some of the discussions (closure) is quite close, quite imminent, if they couldn’t come to some sort of understanding,” North Battleford Mayor Ian Hamilton said yesterday. “But I’m also of the understanding that some progress has been made.”

Hamilton added he’s not directly involved in the talks and couldn’t comment on what plans for the Lighthouse are at this point.

He said a temporary shelter for the homeless is something the city supports.

“Whether it be this model or another model that could be adjusted to conform by the Lighthouse… they’ve provide a great service to us in the past year, year-and-a-half, (and) we certainly want to maintain that relationship,” he said.

The mayor said the city’s trying to help in whatever way it can, calling it a “significant and integral component of our community safety plan.”

gsmith@jpgb.ca

Twitter: @smithco