Moncton City Council unanimously approved considering setting aside $20,000 to help homeless shelters expand their capacity – after Councillor Paul Pellerin made the motion at Monday’s meeting.
Mayor Dawn Arnold says they also asked the province for $400,000 Friday, and explains what costs they are looking to cover from now until March.
“It’s for food, it’s for security, it’s for cleaning, it’s for laundry, it’s for staffing, it’s for supporting volunteers, it’s for increased heating costs, it’s potentially for any kind of minor retrofits that might need to be done to a building,” says Arnold. “It’s for insurance.”
She adds the goal is to ensure nobody is without a warm and safe place to stay.
Pellerin acknowledges this is technically a federal and provincial issue, but he sees it as a humanitarian concern, which is why he put the motion forward.
“This, to me, is to provide our emergency shelters if they need cots, blankets, extra staff, the heating, the electrical,” says Pellerin. “Basically, if anybody has options out there and they’re needing some funding, I’d like to see Council move with this.”
Arnold says the $20,000 is not officially confirmed until budget decisions are approved December 3rd, however, General Manager of Recreation, Culture, and Events Catherine Dallaire says there is approximately $10,000 in their Social Inclusion Budget which can be used in the meantime if needed.
