‘I don’t know if shelters are the answer’: Moncton homeowners decry shelter extensions

Ron Morin moved into his Moncton neighbourhood ten years ago because he was looking for a quiet place to live.

He said it's been anything but quiet since a temporary homeless shelter opened this winter nearby on Mark Avenue.

The retired man said he's had several issues with people from the shelter and he and his neighbours have had their homes broken into.

Morin often sees open drug use in the street, and has had to deal with thefts of his belongings.

While he says he feels sorry for those experiencing homelessness, Morin claims the crime rate has gone up since the shelter opened.

“I have been hit, my backyard neighbour has been hit, my next-door neighbour here has been hit and several people down the street," said Morin.

His neighbour Jodi Dinan feels the same way.

His home was broken into when his teenage daughter was home alone.

"My heart goes out to these people, they need help for sure, but I don't know if shelters are the answer. Addiction services is needed. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is not a solution," said Dinan.

The shelter was scheduled to close this weekend, but on April 17, the City of Moncton announced the Mark Avenue and St. George Street shelters would stay open until June 30.

In the days following, business owners and residents in both neighbourhoods expressed their frustration about the extension to CTV News.

"I'm not thrilled about the one here for sure," said Dinan. "Obviously, I don't want these people on the streets either, but something has to be done. They need help and we need help. Everybody needs help."

The Mark Avenue shelter is funded by the provincial government, but run by the YMCA of Greater Moncton's Outreach Services program.

In an email to CTV News on April 21, the Department of Social Development said they haven’t received any complaints about the Mark Avenue shelter at that time.

Trevor Goodwin, the Senior Director of Outreach Services at the YMCA, was very surprised to hear people were upset about the Mark Avenue facility.

"We've done our best to be good neighbours and good stewards of the neighbourhood and this was the first I had heard there were some complaints," said Goodwin.

Goodwin said it's important to remember some of the people that may be causing problems in the neighbourhood are not necessarily clients at the shelter.

"They're more often than not, not residents that are staying with us at the shelter," said Goodwin. "They could be someone that's been asked to leave the shelter or hasn't been able to access other spaces, but are coming around the neighbourhood looking for assistance."

If anyone in the neighbourhood has an issue with the shelter, Goodwin wants them to come directly to him or the YMCA.

"We're very easy to get a hold of and we're always listening and we're there to mitigate any situations that are happening," said Goodwin. "My role is to mitigate any fear and misconceptions with the population that we're serving and it's really hard to do so if we don't have open lines of communication."

When it comes to homelessness, Goodwin said people often jump to a level of fear that isn't fair.

"These are people who are human beings. They're brothers, sisters. They belong in our community. They're someone's relative and they deserve the same appreciation and empathy as anyone else would," said Goodwin.

Morin said he is empathetic toward the homeless population, but doesn't like having the shelter in a residential neighbourhood.

"Let's be honest, this is not right," said Morin.

Moncton City Councillor Charles Léger said he's received seven complaints from local residents and business owners about the Mark Avenue shelter since the extension was announced.

"Certainly, there have been some issues and nothing's perfect and everybody realizes there is no easy fix," said Léger.

Léger said many residents in the area have expressed an interest in meeting and sharing their experiences.

A town hall session has been suggested for May 29 at nearby Harrison Trimble High School and Léger is waiting for confirmation of availability.