The unforgiving Winter weather has a Moncton emergency shelter pushing to expand its capacity ahead of the holidays.
Harvest House Atlantic Executive Director Marc Belliveau says they are awaiting a renegotiated contract from the provincial government to expand their shelter capacity from 44 to 60.
“This contract will allow us to have a man and a woman on every night to support 60 people – just getting more people off the streets and helping them move forward with a safe space in the Winter,” says Belliveau.
The expansion is made possible through a space previously used for COVID-19 testing and isolation, which can now be altered to allow Women attending the shelter their own dedicated area.
Belliveau says this section is only accessible through key cards and has its own separate amenities to provide women with a safer space.
Once they have finished crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s, the shelter can finish their hunt for new beds, mattresses, and bedsheets, though they believe finding staff to fill the positions will be the most challenging task.
Belliveau hopes they will have these spaces prepared and filled by Christmas, especially given the increase in demand.
The shelter has been at capacity for months, forced to turn away people in need of a place to stay, says Belliveau.
“The ultimate goal is to not increase shelter beds down the road but increase housing. But for now, this is a good stop-gap as we continue to increase our housing supply.”
