Fredericton emergency shelter moves out of high school

Some of Fredericton's most vulnerable people have been living in Fredericton High School since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but today they're moving out — some with a place to go, and some without.

When the weather turned cold, Fredericton's homeless took shelter at 332 Brunswick Street, a newly acquired house purchased by the John Howard Society as an emergency out-of-the-cold shelter during the winter months.

The three-story home in the city's downtown was able to provide a place for 27 people to sleep.

But the coronavirus shutdown brought problems for those living in the shelter in cramped quarters.

"People couldn't physically distance," said Joan Kingston, chair of the Fredericton Community Action Group on Homelessness, adding that the shelter capacity was reduced because of the restrictions. 

"Everything in the downtown started to close down," she said. "So, things that people who are street-involved had been utilizing and were dependent on."

So, a section of Fredericton High School, which was now empty of students, became the new shelter.

It was able to take in more people because of the large space, and it became a 24/7 operation as opposed to an overnight shelter.

Norm Charlesworth stayed at the shelter all winter and was grateful for the place to stay all day and night.

"It really changed everything once you could be here 24 hours a day, and don't have to be somewhere else, and the food is provided right here," he said. 

During the pandemic, and with more space, the people running the shelter saw a spike in people needing shelter.

"There were as many as 56 people who accessed the out-of-the-cold on any particular night," Kingston said about the occupancy at the high school.

But, the arrangement was temporary while the school was closed. Now the building is needed again as staff prepare for classes to eventually resume.

The emergency shelter is back to operating from 332 Brunswick Street as of Friday night, but space is still limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The shelter will only be able to accommodate 17 people overnight now, down considerably from the number of people using the high school location.

Permanent housing

Kingston said shelters are not the solution to dealing with homelessness, and more people will be moved into permanent housing over the next few weeks.

"So that will really provide a permanent solution, which is what we really want, for many people," she said.

Charlesworth is one of the people who will be moving into a permanent home Monday.

"It means I can start everything now. I can make plans and move forward, and not just sort of be in limbo all the time."

Although the cold winter months are over, Kingston said the shelter will continue to operate from 332 Brunswick Street for at least a few more weeks. 

"I think that depends completely on what happens with COVID and how the community responds …. I would think we've got weeks ahead of us."

The shelter will take people in Friday starting at 9:00 p.m. on a first come, first served basis.