Temporary overnight shelter for Brandon in limbo over role church will play

A temporary 24/7 drop-in shelter for homeless people in Brandon seemed to finally have a home, but uncertainty about how it will operate has left the opening date up in the air.

The Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (BNRC) was set to operate a temporary shelter out of the International Gospel Christian Ministries basement, at 302 Eighth St., after receiving approval from the Brandon Planning Commission Wednesday. 

The plan was for Ask Auntie — a renewal corporation support program that operates the Blue Door daytime drop-in at a separate location — to open and operate the overnight drop-in until March 31 using $350,000 in provincial funding. 

"We need the space because our unhoused population has significantly increased," says Rushana Newman, BNRC executive director. "These persons need somewhere to stay warm and safe during our winter months."

But the plan is now in limbo after the building owner and International Gospel Christian Ministries pastor Onyebuchi Onuke asked that the church be given oversight of the shelter's operations and funding.

The request was made at the Brandon Planning Commission meeting where the proposed use of the church was approved, although the planning commission is not involved in operating the shelter.

"In order to make our neighbours happy, because of the trust they have in us, I would suggest that Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation should … hand over the control and operation of this nightly drop-in centre," Onuke said at the meeting.

Neighbours spoke against the drop-in at the Brandon Planning Commission meeting, voicing concerns about potential substance use, loitering, vandalism and other crimes that could happen around the overnight drop-in if it opens.

Onuke told the CBC the drop-in is a good fit for the church because it has been a street ministry since its inception. He already knows many clients through a soup kitchen he runs on Sundays and said the relationships he has built will help keep the community safe. 

"We should be able to work things out. If salary is to be paid or anything is needed that would cost money, that money would come from the [BNRC]," which has received funding for the drop-in, Onuke said.

Both Onuke and the renewal corporation said they continue to talk about how the shelter would operate.

There is no written contract between the two organizations, just a verbal agreement that the renewal corporation would rent space in the basement.

The shelter has struggled to find a suitable space.

This is the second proposal the renewal corporation has taken to the commission. 

A proposed location at 817 Rosser Ave., in a downtown area with a mix of residential and commercial buildings, was opposed by business owners and rejected by the planning commission in November. 

The renewal corporation still wants to combine daytime and nighttime services under one roof, Newman said, so the church would be a temporary solution until they can secure another site.

While staff and funding are in place for the shelter, the opening date still hasn't been set because of the continuing discussions with the church, and there is also a chance the Brandon Planning Commission variance approval could be appealed, Newman said.

The renewal corporation also looked into using a worship space at 1037 Lorne Ave. for the overnight drop-in, before Onuke's church was selected because of its size and proximity to social services.

"If all else fails, then you know, we also have that other location," Newman said. "Discussions are ongoing."

From Jan. 1 to Dec. 6, there have been 630 homeless individuals recorded in Brandon, Megan McKenzie of the Action Research on Chronic Homelessness project said. The city's only overnight shelter has had 9,969 visits.

McKenzie worries that if steps are not taken to keep homeless people safe overnight, people will die from cold weather exposure.

"If folks don't find safe places to go, they will be on the streets and all the concerns that are being raised will continue to persist," McKenzie said at the meeting.