A new fee is being introduced at the House of Nazareth homeless shelter.
Those staying at the shelter will have to pay up to $300 a month, based on their income.
Executive Director Jean Dube says every case will be individual, “If you don’t have an income, we’re not going to charge. We’ll take you to the services that you require. I believe everyone should be receiving something. We’ll take you to social development and make sure you have a Case Worker and that the right things are established for you.”
He says the fee isn’t new. It was planned for when the idea of a shelter was presented.
“To run a place like ours, with over 100 people living and eating and being clothed and showered, there is a cost to that. Every case is individual. If you don’t have an income, you pay nothing. We aren’t going to turn anyone away,” Dube says
Dube adds other shelters in the city are also charging a fee, of up to $8 a day.
“When you’re housed in a building where you’re provided shelter, security through staff, food, and laundry, I think it is fair to say there is a cost for that. The people who are utilizing the service have a responsibility to compensate for what they are receiving,” Dube says.
Meantime, the Senior Director of Outreach at YMCA Reconnect says clientele he has heard from are not taking the news well.
Trevor Goodwin says a fee like this is not going to help the homeless to improve their situation.
“$300, I don’t think you would find anybody who works within the community organizations that deal with the homeless, that would say that sounds like a very good idea, for any of the clientele. It was a shock and it was just rolled out to the clientele and the staff at the shelter,” Goodwin says.
He says some of them are very discouraged, and he fears they will choose to sleep on the streets instead of paying a fee to stay in a shelter.
“To have the doors open for a couple of weeks and then to be told that you are going to have to pay $300 if you’re receiving assistance. To say the morale was low, is an understatement.”
He hopes the shelter will decide to consult with other organizations who are dealing with the homeless, to find out their opinions.
“To charge that much and not discuss with the key partners in the community, doesn’t go along with coordinated access and the community that all of the agencies have built to help the people who are experiencing homelessness,” Goodwin says.
