Calgary officials are trying to make the city feel safer by testing the idea of small, daytime homeless shelters in the suburbs.

For Kim Richards, that approach was exactly what she needed.

The former small-business owner says she was stuck deep in grief and drug addiction, drawn into a negative crowd downtown and constantly fearful as she wandered the streets at night.

Then she heard about a day shelter at the end of the northwest CTrain line and decided to give it a try. What she found was a surprise.

"The atmosphere is so much more positive and different than downtown. People, as they come off the CTrain, are happier," she said, standing just outside Journey Church, where the Calgary Homeless Foundation and City of Calgary are now funding a year-round daytime drop-in space.

Journey

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