Shelter for homeless families opened at Knox United Church

The Knox United Church in downtown Calgary has set up a new temporary emergency shelter for homeless families.

The 75 beds in the church gym will be reserved for parents with children or pregnant women.

• Inn from the Cold calls family homelessness a crisis

Linda McLean, executive director of Inn from the Cold, which will staff the shelter, says she expects shelter demand to increase because of the looming economic crisis.

"We're very happy to have this emergency service available. It gives us the security to know that no family will be turned away. But we remain committed to longer term solutions, she said.

Its just a tangible indication that family homelessness has increased dramatically in this city, on the other hand I am extremely relieved because last year was very stressful, very draining in terms of juggling each day to make sure that all of the families seeking emergency shelter would have a place to be."

McLean said many factors have led to the spike in family homelessness.

"Sometimes people come unprepared for what the cost of living is going to be like in a city like Calgary.We're seeing a lot of in-migration from First Nation communities, very youthful populations on reserves who are coming in to urban settings like everyone else, looking for opportunities, education, employment, qualityof life, all those things," she said.

"We're also seeing that the rental market in Calgary has become so prohibitively expensive that it's knocking out more and more people."

Linda Hunter, the minister at Knox United, says the congregation was happy to make the space available.

This for them is a step on the way to making sure everyone is housed, because this can only ever be a temporary measure," she said.

The shelter has been open nightly since the beginning of the year. It will close on Dec. 31.