Volunteers needed for Fredericton's new emergency shelter

Fredericton's temporary out of the cold shelter has finally opened, but organizers still need volunteers to help it run smoothly. 

"It's now our shared responsibility to keep it open," said Faith McFarland, community development co-ordinator at the community action group on homelessness.  

Volunteers are needed to stay overnight and supervise the space, as well as to help greet guests, fold and wash bedding, interact with guests, clean and prepare snacks.

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After a series of delays, Bishop's Court shelter in Fredericton opened Saturday night. The shelter was supposed to open Thursday night but was delayed because the property isn't zoned properly.

McFarland said it was challenging to get the word out to people that the shelter wouldn't be open in time. Many volunteers had to help bring awareness of the delay and try to support the homeless as best they could in that timeframe.

If somebody is in deep poverty, they're not really going to break that homeless cycle without support.- Faith McFarland

"People have a sense that tents are all in one area but homelessness is a lot more invisible," she said.

According to posts on city hall's social media pages, an agreement with the province late Saturday allowed the city to temporarily bypass its zoning policies so the shelter could open at the former bishop's house on Brunswick Street.

"The twist and turns of this has been a lot," McFarland said.

"After a while we were wondering, at what point does this get resolved?"

A feeling of home

McFarland didn't put the blame on anyone, and she applauded both city and the province for getting the shelter open.

"It just feels like a very normal home," she said. "At the end of the day, in terms of who did what and who got where, I'm just really happy to see the leadership at the provincial level."

She also applauded members of the community who helped get the shelter ready and donated necessary items.

"Quite often I think it is something that we can push to the back of our mind, that homeless exists," she said.

"Once it's something you can't hide from, the response has always been really good."

How it works

The shelter can house up to 20 people. They're invited to come inside, have a shower, grab a coffee and something to eat and then rest for the night.

"It's a out of the cold for the night, it's not a warming station in the day," she said.

"People felt welcomed, they felt normal and it felt effortless."

McFarland is hopeful this will help the homeless gain access to other support services across the city and eventually housing in the future.

"If somebody is in deep poverty, they're not really going to break that homeless cycle without support," she said.

The Bishop's Court shelter will still have to go through the usual steps to get a zoning change. Neighbours will have a chance to have their say and the issue will be decided at a planning advisory committee meeting on Dec. 12.

If the shelter meets all the conditions, it will stay open until March. Hours of operation are 8 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

"However we got here, we got here for the time being and let's just keep that going," McFarland said.