A rare joining of church, government, unions and industry are uniting with a common goal - to build a shelter for homeless young people in Saint John.
The site in the south end used to be home to an Anglican Church, which was demolished last fall. From its ashes will rise the much-needed, and some say much-overdue, Safe Harbour Shelter.
“What I see is a bunch of kids gathered around a table, having a meal together. I see a place where people can be safe,” says Safe Harbour chairman Paul Ranson.
“We’ve got young people living in unsafe circumstances. They’re couch-surfing, or they’re living in places where they really shouldn’t be. “
To launch such a major project, the Human Development Council conducted a survey to account for how many young people have been showing up in hostels designed for men and women.
“Sixty-two of those individuals were between the ages of 16 and 24. That told us that we have a hole that really needs to be plugged,” says council member Randy Hatfield.
Today, the construction industry trades unions pledged their support along with half a million dollars from the provincial government.
“At this point, these dollars will be used towards the workforce and the job component to provide the labour that will be used to build the facility,” says New Brunswick Training and Labour Minister Jody Carr.
The facility - the first of its kind - can’t come soon enough, says Ranson.
“You can’t focus on your education if you don’t know where your next meal is coming from. You can’t focus on anger issues or any other issue, if you don’t have any shelter.”
Safe Harbour is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
