Homelessness rates on the rise in Fredericton

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Fredericton is on the rise. There are about 10 to 15 percent more people living without a home around the capital this spring.

"You go into the main men's shelter or women's shelter and there's a lot of new faces,” says Warren Maddox, Executive Director of Fredericton Homeless Shelters.

According to Maddox, the number is about 186.

“[There’s] a lot more abuse. We're seeing women fleeing domestic violence, those numbers are ridiculously high. We're seeing fairly dramatic increases of indigenous population showing up, which is out of proportion with what it should be,” Maddox said.

Maddox wants mental health issues addressed as a starting point to get people into supportive housing.

Mike Babineau is the President of Downtown Fredericton Inc. and owner of multiple businesses. He has worked in the downtown for more than twenty years and says the crime and vandalism situation is the worst he's ever seen it.

"The government's really not staying on top of it,” Babineau said. “As best as possible to be able to really create a space for a lot of these people to be going to that's not really in the general business district.”

Maddox says the population living with homelessness is dynamic and can be a fluid number, but things like the end of the rent cap had an impact on the ability to keep roofs over peoples heads.

"We're seeing inflation rates that are in the six per cent range, and there's never been an adjustment to social assistance,” Maddox said. “The money that they made last year is six, seven, eight per cent less impact than what it was the year before. There's a lot of factors, certainly the drug impact is a significant one, and mental health,” he said.

"The safety just isn't there,” Babineau said. “What we expect from our city officials and our government officials that we need to provide for our customers and we are seeing a greater feedback that they don't feel safe all the time.”

Babineau wants to see government step in with a tangible solution.