No plan for St. Stephen’s homeless as warming centre closes doors
By Wednesday, the warming centre in St. Stephen, N.B., will be no more, with nothing ready to replace its services.
Neighbourhood Works, who operate the facility, did not respond to an interview request. A statement put out late last week by its working group says the impending closure will only “exacerbate the many challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness.”
It was always the plan for the centre to cease operations at the end of April, but the reason is unclear. The group first stepped up to offer a warming centre at their facility after a state of emergency in early December following the death of 41-year-old Adam Dickerson, who was found in need of urgent medical care at a local park before passing away. Dickerson had been homeless for several years.
The state of emergency was terminated by the provincial government within 48 hours, with an understanding the two levels of government would work together to build a permanent shelter.
In February the centre added sleeping accommodations to its list of services for the towns homeless.
St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern is thankful for the organization stepping up for the town when they needed it most.
“The Neighbourhood Works and all the volunteers who work with Neighbourhood Works, it was amazing to see them come to fruition and help us through that challenging time,” MacEachern says. “They stepped up and put their regular operations on pause and took on this challenge for us and got us through this winter.”
What comes next for the town’s homeless is unknown as there is no centre for them to go, and past encampment sites have been boarded up.
The mayor met with the province late Monday afternoon, where he was hopeful to get an update for plans on a more permanent shelter, as the municipality does not have the resources to take the next steps without assistance.
“We don’t have the funds, we don’t have the toolbox of people to do this work, or the expertise and all those things,” MacEachern points out. “It’s not in our wheelhouse at all. We just need to support the province in this challenge that we have.”
In a statement sent to CTV Atlantic, the Department of Social Development says it is “committed to supporting both transitional and public housing options for the community,” but did not provide a timeline or any details on when next steps will be taken.
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Nicki Minaj detained by police in Amsterdam for allegedly possessing soft drugs
American rapper Nicki Minaj said she was held at Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Saturday on allegation of possession of soft drugs.
American Airlines drops law firm that said a 9-year-old girl should have seen camera on toilet seat
American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a nine-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory.
Public safety minister pledges to 'massively' reduce auto theft
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc insists the federal government is 'doing everything (it) can' to eliminate auto thefts in Canada, and he hopes to see 'a significant reduction quickly' following this week's announcement of new measures to counter the problem.
Three dead after vehicle leaves road in Shediac: N.B. RCMP
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
More enoki mushrooms, Lamborghini Urus and promotionally-gifted tumbler cups: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada, Transport Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued various recalls this week. Here's what you need to know.
A woman took her dog to a shelter to be euthanized. A year later, the dog is up for adoption again
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.