The Cold Lake John Howard Society says the number of people using its programs has more than doubled in two years, and it will hold a community-wide homelessness count on November 9 and 10.
According to stats, the number of unique individuals served rose from 145 in 2023 to 154 in 2024 and 304 in 2025. The average nightly shelter stay climbed from 9.8 in 2023–24 to 12.6 in 2025–26.
Key figures for the year:
- 17,012 community meals served (about 47 per day)
- 4,586 emergency shelter stays
- 131 clients referred to addiction treatment
- 182 medical appointments booked or supported
- 129 clients given court support
- 106 clients helped with legal system navigation
- 105 overdose interventions or naloxone kits distributed
Board Chair Candice Sutterfield said more housed people are coming to the community kitchen because they cannot afford enough food, including people on fixed incomes who share accommodations.
Clients are also arriving from farther away. Beyond Cold Lake, the Municipal District of Bonnyville and Cold Lake First Nations, the society is seeing more people from the St. Paul area and other parts of northeastern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Sutterfield linked this to service closures in neighbouring communities, including a shelter in Lac La Biche.
The count will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on both days. Partners include Stepping Stones Crisis Society, the Cold Lake Food Bank, Family and Community Support Services, healthcare providers and Indigenous community representatives. It aims to include people who do not use traditional shelter services, and the timing was chosen to capture people who may be running low on financial assistance.
The low-barrier shelter admits adults who are under the influence if they meet safety and behavioural requirements. It has 10 security cameras, protective screens in the kitchen and main office, and an extra entrance lock. Staff have received crisis intervention and de-escalation training. After the society discontinued dedicated security services, it added overnight staff.
The society also offers daytime outreach, meals, laundry, showers, clothing and help connecting with healthcare, housing and government services.
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