Out Of The Cold: New shelter opens in Fredericton

With a winter storm rolling into Fredericton, the new Out of the Cold shelter space could not have opened at a better time.

"Until this point Mother Nature has been pretty kind to us in New Brunswick,” said Warren Maddox, the executive director of The Shelters.

The shelter officially opened on Wednesday above the city’s Small Craft Aquatic Centre – located conveniently near The Shelters' base of operations on Brunswick Street.

The amenities are minimal, fitness mats to lay on, a tote for your belongings, and a kettle to make tea.

The goal is to keep people safe from the elements.

"To keep people from physical damage due to cold or God forbid something really bad, which would be hypothermia,” Maddox said.

“This is not the Crowne Plaza. We're not going to be going into competition with the Delta. Really, what it is, is to get people into a space that is safe, that is reasonably comfortable, that is warm.”

Clients are able to spend the night at the shelter, which operates from 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

"So they come in, they do an intake and once they've completed their intake they'll be offered some hot drinks, like hot chocolate or tea and then we kind of get them settled in for the night,” said Adam Lerette, the manager of Out of the Cold Shelter.

“They sleep and in the morning they can get some coffee before they leave and head out for the day.”

This space was designed to make it possible to accept anyone who needs shelter.

"We know that there are individuals out there that do have some issues that they're travelling around with, so this one is low barrier. But, even still, it is rule based and it is behaviour based and the safety of the staff and the safety of the residents that are staying here is paramount,” said Maddox.

The new shelter space has capacity for 10 individuals.

"If they're not able to access services at Oak Center, which is the new name for the City Motel project, or Saint John house or Grace house, then there is a space here available to them… that is much more low barrier than what they would normally run in to at the regular shelters," said Maddox.

With the city's other shelters nearing capacity limits, Out of the Cold will act as a safety net during the winter months.

"So we do still have capacity in the system, but it's still a good space to have for peace of mind, it enables me to sleep a little better at night," said Maddox.