Charlottetown outreach centre looking for new manager with Salvation Army stepping back

The Salvation Army has told the provincial government it wants to step away from managing the Community Outreach Centre in Charlottetown.

The centre offers support and resources to people experiencing homelessness. 

"The Community Outreach Centre is a wonderful program. It's doing such great work, but is a large amount of work," Salvation Army Lt. Kyron Newbury said.

"So we really want to focus on the other parts of our homelessness services and make sure we are doing them really well and so the conversation was around getting another partner to take over," he said. 

The Salvation Army runs men's shelter Bedford MacDonald House and a transitional housing complex in Charlottetown. 

The outreach centre is a provincial facility in the former curling club on Euston Street. The Salvation Army has managed it since January 2020 alongside a working group of community organizations that offer services there.  

The province has reached out to that group, looking for another organization to take the lead. 

The contract to manage and staff the outreach centre is worth about $400,000. 

"We have two organizations within the existing working group membership who have indicated that they will be submitting a proposal," said Shelly Cole, supportive housing manager with the Department of Social Development and Housing, in a legislative committee this week. 

"We'll be working closely with them over the next few weeks to bring those proposals forward."  

P.E.I. Council for People with Disabilities executive director Marcia Carroll says her group isn't looking to manage the outreach centre, but is ready to support whatever group takes charge.

"The outreach centre has focused on the most vulnerable in our society and they're doing an incredible job of giving people a safe place to go to, some introductory counselling and to try and move people along into a place where they are well." 

Fewer complaints from community

The Department of Social Development said the uncertainty and controversy that have surrounded the centre recently have been stressful for staff and clients.

"The first couple of months we were there, things were pretty rocky with the community and with the neighbourhood," Cole said. 

 "I live in the community as well and I can tell you that things have quieted down significantly in terms of the feedback and the number of complaints that are coming to the outreach centre. 

While they are stepping back, The Salvation Army says it will still be active at the centre when new management arrives. 

"We still want to be a service provider there in some aspect, we still want to help however we can," Newbury said.

"It's not about us backing out of outreach completely, it's just that we won't be doing the day to day, but we still want to be involved."