Fredericton's summer river activity centre to become shelter

The second floor of Fredericton's Small Craft and Aquatic Centre will be turned into an emergency shelter this winter. 

The planning advisory committee approved a temporary use variance Wednesday night to allow the shelter to operate until the end of April 2022. 

Fredericton Homeless Shelters Inc. will operate the new shelter, and the minimal renovations needed are already underway, said executive director Warren Maddox. 

"We need some steel crash doors, and that's the big one, some video surveillance. We had to run the network lines for that."

Maddox said the building as it exits is well set up for a shelter — it has two male and two female showers and a large open space for sleeping.

Maddox said he hoped a shelter wouldn't be necessary this year but with the shelters in the city operating at near capacity, he said some "wiggle room" will be necessary. 

"The demand has outstripped the supply a little bit … We just don't have any access and that's the problem," he said. "If all the shelters are running where they should be at around 80 per cent and not 98, we'd probably be OK."

Maddox's groups and others worked with the city to make the project happen. 

Located on a trail along the St. John River, the centre falls in Coun. Cassandra Blackmore's ward. Blackmore sits on the planning advisory committee.

"It speaks to a need," she said in an interview after the meeting. "We've been having a lot of issues around homelessness and we're trying to be proactive, and if the need for 10 additional beds is required, we want to be prepared so that we don't see people unnecessarily living out in the cold in the winter." 

City changes tune

Blackmore's stance reflects a different approach than council took three years ago, when it was asked for a zoning variance that would allow an emergency shelter in Bishop's House on Brunswick Street. After public outcry and much debate, council allowed the variance with conditions. 

Blackmore said the addition of the social inclusion office at city hall has made a difference. 

"Having that office has really brought the different groups that work on homelessness and affordable housing together to make things like this happen quickly and smoothly and maybe ironed out some of those issues in advance," she said.

Maddox said the work isn't done yet. The 10-bed low-barrier shelter is expected to be ready to open in January. 

"We've got to find staff and get them hired. And that's not easy in this market right now. So, yeah, we need a little bit of time."