Group continues to work to set up winter shelter in St. Stephen

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A St. Stephen community group that has spent months investigating potential sites for an out-of-the-cold shelter is cautiously optimistic that a plan will be in place shortly.

More than 20 different parcels of land have been evaluated by the Warming Centre Working Group, a committee of community members who have been searching since August for a site for a government-funded winter shelter in St. Stephen.

A parcel of provincially owned land had been proposed for the shelter, but in late October, after taking its proposal to municipal and provincial governments, the group was advised the land was “no longer a viable option.”

Social Development Minister Jill Green has acknowledged her department had deemed the property “unsuitable,” but she has yet to publicly explain the rationale for that decision.

“I’m pretty disappointed in how this has been handled,” said St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern, who noted the municipality didn’t receive an explanation from the province.

Jim Stuart, chair of the Warming Centre Working Group, says he isn’t aware either of why the location was deemed unviable, but his group is moving forward with the support of the town, local MLA Kathy Bockus, the leaders of the Green and Liberal parties, and the Department of Social Development.

Earlier this week, spokesperson Rebecca Howland told Brunswick News that Social Development has been “actively involved” with the St. Stephen community to “find a suitable location” for the shelter.

“The department recently signed a contract with Neighbourhood Works, a local service provider for professional outreach services, and is committed to provide financial support to the out-of-the-cold response when the community has identified an appropriate location,” she said in an email.

Once a location has been found, Neighbourhood Works is expected to operate the shelter through a contract with the provincial government. The St. Stephen-based non-profit has already posted to hire a warming centre manager and warming centre staff.

But Stuart, who is also executive director of Neighbourhood Works, stressed this doesn’t mean a location has already been secured for the shelter.

Last winter, Neighbourhood Works operated a 15-bed warming centre at the corner of King and Prince William streets, but it wasn’t meant to be a permanent solution, hence why the working group was formed in the first place.

We need to build a shelter that can house more people.

Allan MacEachern

More than 100 people are currently believed to be homeless or precariously housed in the St. Stephen area, either living in tents or couchsurfing with friends or family. A total of 71 unique individuals used the warming centre last winter, Stuart said.

“The first couple of months we weren’t full,” he said. “We averaged about 10 beds (a night), but when we got into the end of February, March and the first of April, we were turning people away.”

Stuart hopes to increase the number of shelter beds, but that is still subject to contract negotiations with the province once a site has been secured.

“We need to build a shelter that can house more people,” MacEachern said, citing current economic conditions.

The working group had initially reviewed existing buildings to use for the shelter, but once that failed to produce any positive results, it turned its attention to properties possibly suitable for a warming centre and for housing in the future.

Eventually, the group zeroed in on three properties and investigated factors like walkability, zoning and financial requirements before it made its proposal to provincial and municipal governments in mid-October. That proposal was turned down.

Negotiations are now underway on a different piece of land, MacEachern said, noting a permanent shelter solution is needed for those who are homeless or precariously housed.

“This town can’t go through this every year.”