The unhoused population in Saint John has topped 300 this year, and the community is bracing for the cold weather ahead.
As local shelters face limited resources, a men’s shelter is looking to expand its day facility into a seasonal out-of-the-cold shelter next month.
“We’re basically at capacity year round,” explained Ben Appleby with Outflow Ministry.
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“There are times we’ll have two or three beds empty, but very rarely. It’s usually a wait list.”
Mayor Donna Reardon says she anticipates a provincial announcement this month for funding for such a project.
“We’re not resourced for that, never anticipated we would be doing this or looking after homelessness because it has never been an issue that’s on the municipality’s plate,” she said.
“But it is now because we’re in the trenches with it and we need to do something.”
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