Non-profit groups in Moncton are bracing for a loss of shelter space

Temporary winter homeless shelters in Moncton are closing, but people who accessed beds, health care or other services at those locations will have options to keep doing so.

The out of the cold shelter run by the Humanity Project in the Lions Community Club on St. George Street is set to close, but the Mark Avenue shelter, managed by the YMCA, will be changing gears.

That shelter was used as an extreme cold shelter in the winter but a spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said it will revert to a facility that helps people transition into more permanent housing and access services. Rebecca Howland said it doesn't have a strict criteria to enter.

In December, business groups in Moncton called on all levels of government to address crime and homelessness which they said threatened the economic viability of downtown.

The temporary shelters were opened after frontline advocates released figures showing 550 people were counted living outside or couch surfing in October and said that existing shelter plans for the winter wouldn't be sufficient. 

Health care for shelter clients

While the winter shelters are closing or transitioning, one Moncton outreach program has announced its expansion. The non-profit Salvus Clinic has provided health care to people at Moncton's two homeless shelters for the last three years. Now, it is partnering with Vitalité and Horizon Health Networks to expand services.

An outreach team is holding on-site clinics at the city shelters, said Kathleen Buchanan, Horizon's primary health care manager.

Once the St. George Street shelter closes, Buchanan said people who were staying will still have access to health-care services.

She said if somebody is staying elsewhere, they can still present at the shelter for care.

Buchanan said mental health and addiction professionals have been added to the team. The clinic will provide services such as flu vaccines, communicable disease tests, education on sexual health and harm reduction, wound care and medication assessments, she said.

Buchanan said the clinic also works closely with partners to identify people who need to transition into long-term care housing.

She said often people who are homeless are not comfortable going to the emergency room for something like a bad wound.

"Many individuals have institutionalized trauma from their experiences in the past. So providing them care where they are in a timely fashion when they are accepting that care at that time is better for long-term health outcomes," said Buchanan.

With the loss of a shelter, Buchanan said the clinic will be looking for opportunities to expand beyond shelters, possibly establishing a regular schedule for their mobile unit to visit different parts of Moncton.

"For myself and the team, we're hoping to foster relationships with the individuals who are trying to exit homelessness," said Buchanan. "And we have a great group of individuals and all the organizations in Moncton who are working towards permanent housing solutions."

Support groups without shelters in need of help

One advocate in Moncton said non-profits who provide services outside the shelter system are in need of more support. 

Debby Warren, executive director of harm reduction non-profit Ensemble Greater Moncton, told Information Morning Moncton that many unhoused people come to Ensemble during the day because they just need "a place to be."

But she said Ensemble is only able to provide limited care — a nurse practitioner comes for half days and a social worker can only come two afternoons a week.

Although Ensemble doesn't run a shelter, Warren said its clients are often highest-risk and in most need of support services.

"Not all of the folks we serve are included in the shelter system, so they're falling through the cracks," she said.