An overnight emergency shelter is opening in Bridgewater on Wednesday evening in an attempt to respond to the growing need for support for unhoused people.
Fifteen cots will be available for people 19 years and older, and the shelter will be open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. each night at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
“We don’t operate a shelter because we think it’s a solution to housing or this is what needs to be for housing; absolutely not,” says Kristi Tibbo, the executive director of South Shore Open Doors Association (SSODA).
“This is a harm reduction approach. This is a life-saving opportunity for many folks.”
SSODA will operate the first overnight shelter in the town, which is being funded by the provincial government.
“The nearest shelter for us, for our area, we have to refer folks to Kentville” or Halifax, Tibbo says, which “are typically full due to the high need.”
Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell says it’s “kind of a good day and a bad day at the same time.”
It’s unfortunate, he says, that the town needs a shelter, but it’s good to have “a place for people to stay overnight until the spring.”
It’s “definitely needed,” he says.
Daytime and weekend hours
The nearby chapter of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission will fill in the daytime gap.
“What we’re going to try to do is provide a support to cover the other 12 hours of the day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” says John Christensen, the local chapter’s manager.
Souls Harbour will provide snacks, coffee, tea, water and “whatever we have on hand that we’re able to give,” he says.
Hours of operation will now include weekends as well, meaning there will now be some form of support 24-7.
“It’s not just an urban HRM issue,” Tibbo says. “It’s more hidden here (with) less services.”
“The need is extremely high and becoming more and more of a crisis by the day,” she says.
The SSODA shelter will offer meals in the evenings and breakfast each day.
Permit concerns, provincial communication
But within hours of opening, there were concerns about whether a permit would be granted for the church space-turned-shelter.
Mitchell says the town heard on Oct. 25 “essentially through the grapevine” that a shelter may be coming to the church with shower services, and advised the church a building permit would be needed the following day.
During a meeting with SSODA, church and town staff on Oct. 31, Mitchell says officials reiterated the need for a building permit.
Mitchell says town staff were trying to process the paperwork as efficiently as possible.
“We really found out (about the shelter location) at the same time as the public,” he says.
But while a conditional permit was eventually granted, Mitchell says the town could have been more proactive if it had known about the plan when the province chose the location.
“We were shocked and dismayed that we were not included in any of the conversations that led to the shelter coming to Bridgewater,” he says. “We’re supportive and we thought we’d be part of this process. And so it’s a little bit disappointing that, and really to this day, we’ve still been excluded from these conversations.”
Speaking to reporters Nov. 1, Community Services Minister Trevor Boudreau said the province does “sense the urgency” regarding overnight shelters.
“We have the service providers in place, we have the locations in place, so, it’s happening quite quickly,” he said.
That same day, Premier Tim Houston said his government is “obviously very concerned about the situation across the province, really, but across the country.”
“The need is great and there’s more work that has to be done. But as I say, that’s why we’re investing in innovative programs that come forward through partners, through municipalities.”
Demand for services
Mitchell says the town is worried about where youth and young families will go, and he’s hoping for affordable housing funding.
Tibbo says some people don’t want the shelter in the area, but that it helps address the need.
“Of course, you have your typical NIMBYism (not in my backyard) and unfortunately there has been some correspondence that has been unkind and using stigmatizing language,” Tibbo says.
“However, I think the best part of this is that the amount of overwhelming support we have received outweighs that.”
SSODA is aware of 200 unhoused people in the area.
“We have so many folks that are from all walks of life that are going through all different things, lots of folks that are working so hard and they just can’t make ends meet. And then there’s also folks that can afford a certain type of housing, but it’s just not available to them.“
Tibbo is asking the public for “patience and kindness” from the public. It’s the first time the organization has operated a long-term shelter space, requiring additional staff to be hired.
“Maybe in the future, after we prove that we can do this and the community needs it, we could do more,” she says.