St. Stephen overnight shelter to close April 30

A St. Stephen warming centre operating as an overnight shelterrun by a non-profit group will closeat the end of April, and there isno plan to replace it.

A newsrelease issued by the "warming centre working group" warns of a "pressing dilemma," after a shelter run by Neighbourhood Works will cease operations, as planned,on April 30.

"This closure leaves many vulnerable individuals without refuge or shelter, and serves to exacerbate the many challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness," the release said.

A website for the working group says it consists of Neighbourhood Works, the town of St. Stephen, theDepartment of Social Development and several other organizations.

The group urges the municipality and the province to take action and createa long-term plan onhomelessnessin the community.

"While dialogue has been ongoing, the lack of a concrete plans puts the well-being of our entire community at serious risk, leaving vulnerable individuals without essential resources and care," the releasesaid.

When reached Friday afternoon, St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern said he appreciated the work done byNeighbourhood Works inrunning the shelter.

"It went well, as well as it could. They did a great service to our community," he said.

When asked if funding was the reason for Neighbourhood Works closingthe shelter, MacEachern said he couldn't answer and directed the question to Neighbourhood Works and the province.

Neighbourhood Works did not respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon and neitherdid the Department of Social Development.

The overnight centre started in February, when it was given provincial funding, and was always set to end in April.

At the time, the municipality estimated there were about 100 people who were homeless in the border community.

Neighbourhood Works waschosen to runovernight shelter after a previous plan ata different location in St. Stephen was shut down by neighbours.

The municipality declared a state of emergency over the homelessness crisis in December,which was subsequentlycancelled by Public Safety Minister Kris Austin days later.

Future plans unclear

MacEachern said Neighbourhood Works has made clear it cannot operate the shelter anymore at its current location on Union Street.

"They've made it clear that they need to continue the path that they were on before And we've delayed that for them by them taking on this huge need for our community" MacEachern said.

He said Neighbourhood Works can negotiate with the province about operating a shelter at another location if they choose, but that's up to the province to decide, not the municipality.

"And I don't know much more about that at this point, except that we're putting the pressure on [the province]."

When asked if the municipal councilis working to find a new location, MacEachern said homelessness is under provincial jurisdiction. He saidthe municipality does not have the expertise or the funding to tackle the problem.

"So hopefully things pull together quickly. And of course, the pressure's on. We've got a deadline now."

He said council is waiting to hear from the province on the next steps.

"These people are going to be out on the street again, the ones that are using that service. So that should be concerning," he said.

MacEachern said he has a meeting with provincial officials on Monday and is hopeful a long-term solution can be found.

"Just because the weather's good, doesn't mean someone wants to be outside."