For the first time in Calgary, twenty social service agencies will be housed under one roof. The collective will be known as SORCe (Safe Communities Opportunity and Resource Centre) and assist the city’s downtrodden.
Premier Redford and Mayor Nenshi were on hand for the centre’s official ribbon cutting on Thursday morning.
This was the second opening of SORCe. In mid-June, the centre began assisting Calgarians but the flooding of the Bow and Elbow Rivers prompted the temporary closure of the agency.
SORCe brings representatives from the following organizations together in a location adjacent to the City Hall LRT Westbound platform:
- United Way
- Calgary Homeless Foundation
- Alpha House
- Drop-In Centre
- The Alex
- Neighbourlink
- Chief Crown Prosecutor
- Chief Probation Officer
- Bylaw Services
- City of Calgary Community & Neighbourhood Services
- Alberta Health Services
- Calgary Police Service
The centre is receiving a warm response from those who work alongside Calgary’s homeless on a daily basis.
“It’s been my dream for a lot of years,” says street chaplain Maxwell Shaw. “We’ve got to coordinate and get it under one roof and a continuing thing, not opening the doors for six months and then failing, but an ongoing thing.”
“It’s gonna be great. I know where to send them (people in need), and I know where to bring them.”
The facility’s downtown location along the LRT tracks provides easy access for the hundreds of disenfranchised, vulnerable Calgarians who call the streets home. The grass roots initiative will provide resources for housing, mental health and addiction issues, while offering job training and employment opportunities.
