Brandon overnight drop-in centre opens just in time to help people escape biting cold

After seeing three potential locations fall through, the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation opened its temporary overnight drop-in centre this week — just in time for the onset of frigid winter temperatures following unseasonably mild weather.

"We're really happy that we were able to open when the service is really now needed," said Rushana Newman, the renewal corporation's executive director.

"Even looking at the forecast for the rest of this week … it's going to get pretty cold. And I can't imagine having our clients outside with nowhere to go."

The drop-in saw 16 clients use services during its first night of operations Monday, Newman said — a surprisingly high number since the soft launch wasn't advertised widely.

"It shows, really, the need for this space," she said.

It's located in Life's Journey, an Indigenous-led non-profit located on Princess Avenue in the southwestern Manitoba city.

The drop-in will be operated by Ask Auntie — the renewal corporation's support program that currently runs the Blue Door, a daytime drop-in shelter in Brandon — through $350,000 in provincial funding.

The goal is to provide more overnight support for Brandon's growing homeless population. The funding is also being used to hire Ask Auntie staff and enhance Blue Door's current daytime services.

The drop-in will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until its funding ends on March 31.

It will serve as an overflow space for clients of Samaritan House Ministries Safe and Warm overnight shelter — the city's only overnight shelter. It can sleep up to 41 people each night, but saw 9,969 visits from Jan. 1 to Dec. 6 last year.

Staff want the space to feel like a local coffee shop, Newman said — visitors will be able to have a warm drink and a snack.

They'll also be able to engage in cultural activities like beading and smudging — something Newman said was critical because the funding was earmarked for Ask Auntie, an Indigenous-led program.

"The clients that we serve are mainly Indigenous clients... This space is really for them," she said, and the hope is they'll "feel a little bit more comfortable and welcomed."

Long process to find site

Discussions about the temporary drop-in began in spring 2023, after the provincial funding was secured. 

The renewal corporation initially thought it had found a space for the drop-in at 817 Rosser Ave., but that location was rejected at a Brandon Planning Commission meeting after pushback from the local business community.

The corporation then sought space in two local churches. Those potential partnerships didn't work out either, which led to a collaboration with municipal and provincial partners and Life's Journey.

In a Wednesday email statement, Life's Journey said it was happy to partner with the renewal corporation and give the drop-in centre a home.

"The agency appreciates past and present collaboration with the community" and is "honoured that we can assist in this way," the non-profit's statement said.

"Having a warm and safe place to rest is an essential need for all members of our community."

Ask Auntie co-ordinator Florence Halcrow says it's a relief knowing people will have a place to go when it gets cold. Life's Journey is also a good fit because it is an organization clients are familiar with, she said.

Each night, two Ask Auntie staff and two security guards will work at the drop-in.

Some of the staff will come from the renewal corporation's Fresh Start program — a social enterprise that helps people with barriers to employment find casual work. People who have experienced homelessness themselves will also help staff the drop-in, Halcrow said.

"They know what the people need and they know they have the lived experience to give, to fill the gaps that are there for them," she said.

Planning for the future

Halcrow hopes to eventually see a Blue Door drop-in centre that can offer 24-hour services permanently.

The conversation about a potential overnight drop-in space for next winter needs to start now, said Newman.

"We need to have some community forums where … residents are made aware of the need for these types of services," she said.

"Bring the residents, the business community and all levels of government together so that we can actually come up with a plan."

The number of homeless people is growing, said Newman, and her corporation has a federally funded research project looking at why. She hopes the information gathered will help fight homelessness in the city.

"It's being proactive," Newman said.

"A part of the research is setting up these pilot projects, funding them through the research, and then based on how well they turn out, we would then help them to apply for more sustainable funding to run those projects."