Navigation and Support Centre moves into larger facility to meet growing demand

EDMONTON – NEWS – Alberta’s government is strengthening services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness by relocating Edmonton’s Navigation and Support Centre into a larger, more accessible facility.

Since opening in January 2024, the centre has provided a one-stop shop for critical supports, helping more than 7,780 individuals and making more than 33,700 service connections. Services range from housing referrals and access to financial benefits to medical care, addictions treatment, and Indigenous cultural supports.

The centre, operated by Hope Mission, is moving from the Karis Centre building into the Bissell Centre West, closer to emergency shelters and complementary supports. The new location offers more space and privacy, making it easier for staff and service providers to assist clients.

“By bringing critical supports and services under one roof, the Navigation and Support Centres have become vital hubs for those experiencing homelessness,” said Jason Nixon, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services. “Moving Edmonton’s Navigation and Support Centre into a bigger space will allow the centre’s dedicated front-line staff to help even more people access the supports they need.”

What the Navigation and Support Centre Provides

Upon arrival, individuals receive a needs assessment and are connected to services, including:

• Same-day Alberta ID and access to financial benefits

• Shelter connections: food, clothing, showers, and housing supports

• Transportation services to and from the centre

• Medical care, including access to the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP) for same-day addiction treatment

• Mental health and recovery supports through Recovery Alberta

• Locked storage for personal belongings and support for those with pets

• Indigenous cultural services tailored to community needs

Tackling Homelessness in Alberta

Through Budget 2025, Alberta is investing $220 million to combat homelessness, supporting thousands of shelter spaces province-wide. In Edmonton, this includes more than 2,000 spaces, with 150 Indigenous-led beds and over 250 women-only spaces.

Combined with Calgary’s Navigation and Support Centre, which opened in July 2024, the two hubs have supported more than 13,700 individuals and made 70,380 connections to services that help vulnerable Albertans rebuild their lives.

Why This Matters for Northwestern Ontario

Though the announcement is focused on Edmonton, it underscores a broader national challenge: how to provide accessible, culturally appropriate supports to vulnerable populations.

Communities like Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, and Kenora face similar pressures in balancing emergency shelter needs with wraparound services for mental health, addictions, and housing.

Edmonton’s Navigation and Support Centre model may offer lessons for how integrated, one-stop supports could be adapted for Northern Ontario communities facing rising homelessness and housing insecurity.