More than 100 local renovators have renovated a shelter for young people in crisis in Edmonton, giving the non-profit Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) a free, three-day upgrade. Volunteers, builders and renovators from BILD Edmonton, another non-profit, worked at the shelter on Whyte Avenue.

Joyce LaBriola, YESS’s chief development officer, said the organization’s usual fundraising covers basic operating costs. She described BILD’s work as a “kind of luxury that we haven’t had the pleasure of having.” The renovations allowed staff and young people to imagine what the space could become, she told CTV News Edmonton.

“You look at the rooms and work that they’ve done,” LaBriola said. “Being able to allow ourselves to imagine what could be possible was an incredible experience.” Young residents have already told staff the renovated rooms feel more welcoming and inviting, she said.

“One of our youth says it doesn’t feel like a shelter, it feels like a hotel,” LaBriola said.

BILD Edmonton Metro Board Chair Paul Lanni said in a media release that businesses around the city helped make the project possible by asking, “How can we help?” He said the work went beyond renovations: “They’re about coming together as an industry, using our skills and resources to make a meaningful difference and supporting the organizations that serve our communities.”

YESS has worked with young people in Edmonton for more than 40 years. It operates a 24/7 support centre for people aged 15 to 21 who are experiencing crisis, connecting them with medical care, mental health support and community resources.

BILD Edmonton Metro said it will continue highlighting the work of its renovators throughout October. The report included files from CTV News Edmonton’s Darcy Seaton.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.