St. Stephen residents say province agreed to 'pause' temporary housing

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On Tuesday, the province announced that 24 Happy Valley Rd., south of Highway 1, had been chosen as the location of a “temporary housing initiative” to get unhoused people out of the cold, and that it was expected to open in late February.

Representatives from the province and the group behind the facility met Thursday evening with neighbouring residents and businesses at the Garcelon Civic Centre, with an estimated 60 people in attendance.

The meeting was closed to the media.

“Just to put it bluntly: We won,” said Andrea McCaffrey, one of a group of local residents who are opposed to the project, citing public safety concerns and the facility’s proximity to St. Stephen High School.

“It has been put on pause for now till we can help them find a suitable location to find something long-term,” she said.

But when Kathy Bockus, Saint Croix MLA and minister responsible for seniors, was asked to confirm that after the meeting, she said, “We’re going to take their concerns back, evaluate them, listen to what was said tonight, and then go forward from there.”

St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern said Bockus was the one who said it was on pause.

“I have to have some more discussions on what that really means,” he said Thursday night. “My goal moving forward, if it is paused, I want commitment … I want to make sure that the government is committed to taking care of this serious issue that we’re in.”

He stressed the need to act, saying there are more than 100 unhoused people in the community of 4,510 and temperatures are dropping.

“We have people that are living precariously right now in dangerous situations,” he said.

Materials distributed to residents described the warming centre as a supportive housing facility consisting of seven trailers in a fenced-in site, operating as an overnight shelter and space for homeless citizens during the day. While there would not be a rule requiring clients to be free of addictions or sober, it was indicated that public use of drugs or alcohol and/or possession of weapons would not be permitted.

The centre is set to be open 24 hours a day, with at least two staff members on site at all times, according to the documents, which indicate that it would operate until the end of April, and could open again the following winter.

Speaking to reporters, Jim Stuart, executive director of Neighbourhood Works, which is part of the warming centre working group, said that the meeting was intended to get feedback from neighbours.

“We’ve got all their feedback, their concerns, and as an organization, we’re going to take that back, look at it and move forward from there, hopefully,” he said.

In November, provincial spokesperson Rebecca Howland told Brunswick News that it had contracted with Neighbourhood Works and would provide financial support “when the community has identified an appropriate location.”

Bockus called it a “collaborative effort” between the community, province and Neighbourhood Works, and said the warming centre working group, a collection of local community members and service organizations, including Neighbourhood Works, was “in charge.”

But asked whose decision picking the location actually is, she said “the community has the final say, plain and simple,” before saying she believed the working group would make the final call based on feedback.

Howland said in an email Friday that the government is “here to help municipalities as they consult with their councils and communities” and “would never impose a solution in a community that wasn’t the best fit for that community.”

She said the ministry of social development “will continue to work closely with the municipality and partners on next steps to support those experiencing homelessness.”

MacEachern said that all levels of government, including the provincial and federal governments, ultimately represent local residents.

“Obviously the community is a part of it, but when we talk about government … that’s us,” he said. “Even though they’re doing it, they’re doing it for us. It’s all our responsibility.”

McCaffrey said residents at the meeting offered suggestions of other locations, but that the province hasn’t offered criteria for what makes a location suitable. She said she wasn’t sure if the current location had been taken off the table.

“We are going to fight for that not to be an option because it’s not suitable that close to 500 high school kids. It’s not suitable, not acceptable,” she said.

When asked if she was worried about the people sleeping outside, she said, “They shouldn’t be put in that situation. We as a neighbourhood shouldn’t be put in the situation of the drugs and the criminal part that comes with it.”

MacEachern said he doesn’t know if the timeline of the project has changed, or whether an alternate solution will work. He said the people in the room had valid concerns, but were supportive.

“There’s a lot of confusion, and just like anything else, it’s a serious issue and it’s going to take a lot of time to get through this,” he said.

The mayor said he hoped the meeting didn’t ‘take the wind out of the sails’ of Neighbourhood Works, saying they were “blessed” to have them.

“You think it’s crazy right now? Imagine how bad it’d be if they weren’t doing what they’re doing already.”

He also stressed the need to deal with the conditions creating homelessness at a societal level.