A group looking to tackle homelessness in Moncton is taking matters into their own hands.
Charlie Burrell is the founder of The Humanity Project. In November, he appeared before Moncton City Council to try and secure an unused bus and a small parcel of land to build a village of tiny homes for the homeless.
“We thought it would be a dual place to wash clothes and shower to stay clean,” said Burrell.
He thought a deal would be reached quickly, but two months later, he's still waiting on an answer.
“We had to look at different structures in terms of minimum standards, building codes, whether it's in a sensitive location, close to basic amenities,” said Kayla Breelove Carter, Moncton social inclusion officer. “Unfortunately at that time there was no land at our disposal that met all the requirements on both ends.”
Not wanting to continue waiting, the group struck off on its own. Burrell says a home was built for a man in desperate needat an undisclosed location.
“The time we wait on the government is just time someone's sitting out in the cold,” he said.
Until recently, The Humanity Project was serving food out of a parking lot. Now, they're in the old Moncton Curling Association building, and they think it might just fit the bill for their ambitious project.
They've started stockpiling wood and are ready to get to make more homes.
David Mitchell, who has overcome homelessness, says this shelter village might not be the ultimate solution, but could lead to change.
“I know what it feels like to be homeless, I know what it feels like to be addicted to drugs, and I thought I could show people somehow that they can escape from the cycle of addiction and homelessness,” said Mitchell.
Burrell says it’s hard for him to see so many people on the streets every day.
“When I see somebody freezing and I go to my own home and lay in my bed, it bothers me,” he said. “When I see some I give water to, it's like I gave them a bottle of gold, and I just go home and turn on my tap.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke.
