Notre Dame youth centre could close over cash shortage

Good Shepherd is considering shutting down its Notre Dame resource centre for street-involved youth after the city said it wouldn't give an extra $230,000 by the end of the year to bridge a gap in donations.

The charity says it's weighing closing the centre in Hamilton's downtown that serves as many as 80 kids per day. The 20-bed shelter isn't in jeopardy, said Brother Richard MacPhee, executive director. But the resource centre — which provides services such as meals, advocacy, recreational and therapeutic programming, and access to mental health, addiction and health services — is.

MacPhee told a city hall committee meeting on Tuesday that the organization needs $230,000 this year to keep the centre afloat.

We are simply broke.- Coun. Sam Merulla

"This is a program that services some of the most vulnerable in our community," he said.

But city councillors put off the request until budget time in the spring. There are too many organizations in need, they said, and not enough money to go around. And Good Shepherd already gets $750,000 per year from the city for base funding for Notre Dame, plus $200,000 per year in "one-time funding" since 2006, they said. That's not including money for its adult and family services.

"We are simply broke," said Sam Merulla, Ward 4 councillor. The provincial and federal governments can afford to pay, but "people continue to come to us."

"We collectively need to rattle the cage and get the people with the money into the cage, and not come to us because we're broke. We don't have the money and we're not the problem."

• Hot housing market putting Hamilton's homeless shelters in a crisis

MacPhee says his organization has been pressing other levels of government too. But programs for homeless youth fall between bureaucratic cracks.

The province considers homelessness a city responsibility, whereas city funding doesn't cover mental health issues in youth, he said. Notre Dame's resource centre needs resources for both issues. The federal government's Housing First funding strategy hasn't helped either.

The city gave Good Shepherd one-time $230,000 funding for Notre Dame last year. There was a budget surplus then, said Gillian Hendry, director of housing and homelessness. But that doesn't exist this year. The city also plans to review Hamilton youth services next year.

Terry Whitehead, Ward 8 councillor, called the dilemma "heart wrenching."

"The city and staff are doing everything they can to facilitate a great organization and the services they provide, but there are limitations."

Good Shepherd's shortfall comes, in part, because people are targeting their donations to specific services, MacPhee said. And homeless youth aren't a popular cause.

MacPhee plans to call a board meeting at Good Shepherd to discuss the centre's future.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, councillors discussed how Hamilton's hot housing market is putting an increasing strain on the city's shelters.