As colder weather approaches, those who operate homeless shelters in Fredericton are preparing to work with less this year.
Fredericton Homeless Shelters Inc. has run an emergency out-of-the-cold shelter in a building at the exhibition grounds for two winters now. The site allowed for around 33 beds.
However, the building is set to be demolished as part of a redevelopment project.
This week, Fredericton City Council approved another emergency shelter to operate this winter — but it’s at the Small Craft Aquatic Centre on the city’s south side, which is a smaller space.
“The Aquatic Center has been the appointed place right now and it will provide 10 emergency beds for overnight use during the winter months,” said Vanessa Foss, Fredericton Homeless Shelters Inc.’s director of business development.
Foss says the organization also has a men’s shelter with a 27-bed capacity and a women’s shelter with 10 beds “plus emergency couch.”
According to the latest numbers from the Human Development Council, as of September there were 353 people experiencing homelessness in Fredericton.
The data also showed 179 people were chronically homeless, which refers to people who have at least six months of homelessness over the past year or recurrent experiences of homelessness over the past three years.
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“The numbers (of unhoused people) have increased quite a bit, so there’s a substantial need for individuals for housing and emergency shelters,” said Foss. “Between housing and shelter, there’s a significant need.”
Foss says work is ongoing to build a permanent shelter, but short-term measures are coming soon.
“We have started up our supported housing, so we have two houses now and then we’ll be opening a third in January. So that is increasing some supported housing elements, but that bigger project will be to come,” Foss said.
Council also approved a new courtyard lot for 12 Neighbours, a tiny home community, which will add 15 new units. The units offer a bridge between emergency out-of-the-cold services and permanent supportive housing.
“One of the things it does is helps us, of course, to deploy solutions more quickly but also house individuals that have some additional complexities that make it difficult for them to succeed even in a supportive, permanent housing context,” said Marcel LeBrun, president of 12 Neighbours, who spoke to council on Monday.
The Aquatic Centre emergency shelter will open in mid-December and is approved to stay open until the end of April.
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