Homeless Shelter with Beds Opens in St. Stephen, NB

A long-awaited overnight shelter for the homeless is finally becoming a reality in St. Stephen. Neighbourhood Works, already operating a warming centre, will expand its services to offer a place to sleep for the local unsheltered community. 20 beds are now available at Neighbourhood Works' 59 Union Street location. Executive Director of Neighbourhood Works Jim Stuart and St. Croix MLA Kathy Bockus told CHCO that there are 20 beds in total, and Neighbourhood Works has been near capacity every night since beds became available last week. Beds will be offered at this location until mid to late April.

"It's nice to know that this is official, and that Neighbourhood Work stepped up and took care of the problem that we're having," said St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern. "I really appreciate it."

Mayor MacEachern, who declared a local state of emergency over the homelessness crisis back in December, says he is relieved there is, at the very least, a temporary solution to provide shelter for the town's homeless population, estimated at between 70 and 100 people in total. 

This initiative follows earlier setbacks, including objections from concerned neighbours and business owners over a proposed location for a temporary mobile shelter on Happy Valley Road. Mayor MacEachern says that while temporary shelters are not a long-term solution, they represent a crucial step forward in addressing immediate needs. 

MacEachern says that, after meeting with Premier Blaine Higgs and Minister Bockus earlier this month in St. Stephen, he is pleased to know that the province will continue working with the municipality to establish a permanent shelter for the homeless with the focus now shifting to future plans beyond April. 

"I'm very happy that, when the Premier was here, we talked about the next phase and going immediately into that and not just looking at temporary--because we know temporary is not the right answer, and it's not the right way to go about this," said MacEachern. "So it's good to have that commitment from the province on that, so we're going to have to start working on that right away."

Stuart says providing homeless people with a place to stay is the first step in getting people off the streets for good and that Neighbourhood Works has already helped numerous vulnerable people go on to find a place and purpose in the community. 

"I don't pretend to be the expert. I know what I've learned over the last year and a half and I'm proud pleased of Neighbourhood Works and the job that we're doing. And we see the differences in a lot of people," said Stuart. "Most people don't know that six of our homeless from last year are now housed. There's as many that have gone to treatment and in recovery and that is really a direct results of the suppers we had. And because we, the proverbial we, the volunteers and the other staff and our outreach workers, got to know people and they came to us looking how can I better myself? What is the next? I don't want to live this way."

St. Andrews could see another affordable housing initiative materialize in the near future. The town recently hosted a collaborative event aimed at tackling affordable housing needs in the community. Led by Mylene Vincent, Chief Development Officer, and Katie Brewer from Housing Hub NB, stakeholders including seniors, developers, and NBCC representatives gathered at the WC O'Neill Arena dining room earlier this month for a visioning exercise with discussions focused on housing demographics, amenities, and accessibility. The event explored the potential for an affordable housing development behind the NBCC campus, aiming to cater to students, seasonal workers, and seniors.

"As far as actually getting the results from the visioning exercise, there will be a report actually at the upcoming council meeting. I'm sure that will be available to the public, but as far as feasibility study and engagement, as far as rezoning and all that stuff, there's still a long process ahead," said Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson. "We have talked to other levels of government and can say that this project looks favourable. A lot of the development that you see in the community today was done by private developers and partnership with the municipality. But to actually have a housing development in our community where you might see at least two or three levels of other government working together, that hasn't happened yet. So I'm really excited at this opportunity and there's no better location really, to put it, than behind the New Brunswick Community College. I've always said that you can do development and not take away from the look and feel of your community. The reality is, behind that building, not many people actually see it at all. So it's really an opportunity to get some high density housing in St Andrews and of course the New Brunswick Community College. If any place needs it, it would be them, as they see a number of students come here every year not able to find a house or apartment and they end up either transferring campuses or even drop out."

Insights from the event will inform a report for Council, laying the groundwork for an inclusive apartment complex. 

-Vicki Hogarth, CHCO-TV NewsBreak26, St. Andrews, NB