SUBSTANCE USERS GET BEDS, HELP AT SHELTER

Andy's Place was warm and welcoming Thursday night.

It was the second day of operation for the overnight dropin centre for
homeless people under the influence of alcohol or substances.

Lorne McLeod was one of nine men who used the shelter on Wednesday. He was
back Thursday.

Lately he's been sleeping in churches that offer homeless people a place to
sleep through the Inn From The Cold program.

He heard about Andy's Place from staff at Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen and
decided to give it a try.

He said it's a decent place to spend the night.

"It's better than sleeping in my van," McLeod said.

At 7 p.m., he was one of two clients on site. Most of the mats were still
stacked against the wall. Mats for 12 people will be available nightly and
20 mats during severe winter emergencies.

Twenty mats could be spread out, with little room to spare, in the one-room
facility located downtown at 4712 51st Ave.

Andy's Place is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Shining Mountains Living Community Services operates the facility, which was
developed by Safe Harbour Society.

Safe Harbour is also involved in plans for a Red Deer detox centre. The
Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) is committed to the detox
centre and provincial funding is expected in 2004.

Dana (who would not give last name), a volunteer at the centre, expected it
won't take long for all the mats at Andy's Place to be put to use.

"There is a real need for it," Dana said.

It's much better than sleeping outdoors in a tent or "chateau Maytag" (an
appliance box) in Rotary Park or along the river bank, he said.

Andy's Place is named after Andy Strawberry, a homeless man who died last
January sleeping in Rotary Park.

"I don't want to see another person die this year," said Raye St. Denys,
executive director of Shining Mountains.

"People say build a shelter and they will come. I don't believe that.
They're already here.

"We've had homeless here for a long time. It's not new. People forget that."

Andy's Place manager Mike Smith said he wasn't aware of the homeless
population.

"I felt there wasn't a need. Red Deer is too small, I was telling myself,
(but) there is a need," Smith said.

He grew up in Red Deer and has worked with homeless people in Edmonton.

Smith said people wrongly assume dropin centres are rough and wild places.
Staff are needed more in case of health emergencies, he added.

Andy's Place has two staff members with substance abuse and first-aid
training.

"There is never any violence in places like this. They are here to get out
of the cold," Smith said.

Construction delays prevented Andy's Place from opening Nov. 1. A sign was
still needed at the back door to identify the site and an interior door was
yet to be hung.

Donations of blankets would also be helpful, Smith added.

Funding from Alberta's Lottery Board program and Human Resources Development
Canada has provided $90,000 for Andy's Place to operate for six months.

St. Denys said it will keep people warm this winter and also give them the
opportunity to look within themselves to find the answers to help change
their situations.

Homeless people don't have the time or energy to solve their problems if
they're constantly searching for a place to sleep, she said.