In a northern Alberta town, a person who’d been living in a shelter will start receiving their old age security benefit — and possibly a permanent place to live — thanks to a unique event that brought dozens of social service agencies together under one roof.

About 150 people in Peace River, about 390 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, attended the first-of-its-kind Navigation Centre pop-up late last month.

More than a third of them were there to access services ranging from addictions and mental health support to housing. Organizers said 26 agencies took part in the Jan. 22 event at the Sagitawa Friendship Centre. 

“It was really important for us to all come together because we see different needs within our agencies,” said Tamara Brunham, a programmer for the Peace River Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and one of the event organizers..

FCSS, RCMP and other local groups piloted the project, which was inspired by the Hope Mission’s permanent Navigation and Support Centre in Edmonton. 

‘Under one roof’

Peace River, with a population of just over 7,200, is geographically divided by the river of the same name running though the centre of town. 

“We do have neighbourhoods on both sides of the river, so transportation can be an issue at times,” Brunham said.

Centralizing the services into one location during the pop-up was aimed to ease  those transportation worries. 

Brunham said organizers saw numerous success stories at the pop-up, including individual who had been living in a shelter. 

“They were able to access their old age security, which will help them now access housing,” Brunham said. “That was a really big win for us to hear that people are accessing these services under one roof and it’s helping change their lives.”

Another highlight for Brunham was a small family that was “raving” after accessing Alberta Supports, mental health assistance and receiving vaccines “instead of driving all over the countryside to access these services.”

Courtney Geldart is an employment co-ordinator at Future Works, which helps people with barriers and disabilities find job opportunities. She had a booth at the pop-up and said the inaugural event was successful.

“We had a wealth of referrals and were able to meet a lot of clients right where they were at,” Geldart said.

Peace River’s mayor expressed her support for the event when council discussed the pop-up at its Feb. 23 meeting.

“I saw services there I didn’t even know we had in Peace River. I was quite pleasantly surprised by it,” Peace River Mayor Shelly Shannon said.

Coun. Brandon Dous also attended the pop-up. During the meeting, he noted that the event was busy and he saw lines at various tables.

Organizers hope to see another event take place later this year.