WESTLOCK – One woman has made it her goal to give homeless people in Westlock a warm place to rest during cold winter nights following the death of 60-year-old Timothy Phillips, a homeless man who succumbed to the cold earlier this month.
Sherilyn McCallum began formulating a plan for a homeless shelter, named Timothy’s Safe Haven, in Westlock after hearing the news of Phillips through Facebook. Talk of creating a homeless shelter in town have been ongoing for several years according to McCallum who said it is time to do something about the issue.
“When we’re in need of something, what’s holding us back from getting it?” she asked. “Any one of us can be homeless tomorrow. I’m no better, you’re no better, none of us are any better. I’ve always been a fighter for the underdogs.”
While early in the planning stages, McCallum hopes to create a shelter that runs almost entirely off of community donations to minimize the need for government grants, something she claims can be unreliable after speaking with other homeless shelters in the area. The shelter is in need of both land and a building, which she is hoping can be donated to save on costs.
Once together, McCallum plans to offer not only a warm place to rest, but also a place to provide mental health support, although details are still being worked out.
“Why can’t we have something in place when it’s -25 C and colder? Why can’t we have a facility that helps them with their mental illness that’s not going to cost them a fortune or make them feel like human waste? We need a place without judgement, without prying eyes and stuff like that,” said McCallum. “If we can be as self-sufficient and minimized as possible, that would be ideal.”
McCallum, who has worked in disability services for over 30 years, said mental illness plays a huge role in homelessness and hopes to address it through the shelter by providing a “holistic humanistic look into homelessness.”
“We have to look at the why. Why are these people on the streets? Why did Timothy feel he needed to go into a cardboard box and not go into someone's home when it’s so cold out? Why aren’t we asking those questions instead of condemning them and saying it was his choice (to stay outside,)” said McCallum. “When you look at mental illness, there’s many factors that play into that.”
A petition titled ‘Westlock, Together we build Timothy's Safe Haven’ was made on Change.org and as of Friday has garnered over 150 signatures showing support for the project. Additionally, McCallum’s initial Facebook post regarding her plans has received over 30 reactions and dozens of comments which she says shows the community’s support for the project.
Moving forward, McCallum plans to bring the matter before town council after nailing down further details and specifics about the shelter while learning about how to run a nonprofit organization to help homelessness.
Niece speaks out about mental health support
Kimberly Phillips, niece to Timothy Phillips, spoke out about homelessness and mental health in Westlock during an interview Jan. 14.
Homelessness is an issue that she said has been “swept under the rug” in the community and has gone unnoticed until now. With the creation of a homeless shelter on the horizon, Phillips said it is a good start.
“I love it, honestly. We need something and we’ve always needed something. People have tried but it’s never gone anywhere, but now that it’s my uncle it hits a little closer to home,” said Phillips.
But a homeless shelter is only a start. Mental health plays a major factor in homelessness, which Phillips notes often goes unchecked. Using the situation with her uncle as an example, she said her family did their best to try and help but were unable to do much.
“We tried to help him so many times but he never wanted the help. That’s the thing with mental health, you try and help somebody but they have to be ready to help themselves and without the right resources, people are scared to reach out,” said Phillips.
Mental health support is something Phillips said is difficult to find in Westlock, noting her own experience and difficulty getting support as well.
“I struggle with my own mental health and I’ve tried to get help but have never been able to get any,” said Phillips, who notes it was a similar situation with her uncle. “They never help the people who need it, they only help the people who don’t. They don’t have the right people.”
Young activist shares support for shelter
Masen Scarnati is a name familiar to some when it comes to the fight against homelessness.
At just 10 years old, Scarnati has made it his goal to eradicate homelessness through various means, including putting together ‘blessing bags’ filled with a variety of things a person without shelter may need and even received the provincial Northern Lights Volunteer award in 2020 for his efforts.
In the past he has lobbied the town to create a homeless shelter and now he is showing support for McCallum's efforts.
“A homeless shelter is important because it just is,” said Scarnati. “People need to know that they have a safe warm place to go that is welcoming and friendly and that they know that they are thought about and cared about and so that they don’t die! I’ve lost two of my homeless friends now because they had to stay outside and it really hurts my heart. These people deserve at least a place to sleep where they can feel safe and warm”
Scarnati first began his activism when he was just seven years old after seeing a homeless person at the West Edmonton Mall, which he said was “not right” and that he needed to “help somehow and some way.”
“I want to help the homeless because they seem to need it most, I think it’s important to show these people that there are people who actually care about them,” Scarnati concluded.
