Province Announces Opening of Temporary Winter Shelter

COMMUNITY SERVICES--Province Announces Opening of Temporary Winter Shelter

An additional overnight shelter for the homeless will open in Halifax for the winter by Dec. 24.

Community Services Minister David Morse announced today, Dec. 16, that a temporary shelter will be located at St. Patrick's Church, 2263 Brunswick St. It is expected to operate daily from 4 p.m to 8 a.m., between December and April. The shelter will provide beds and breakfast for up to 40 men, women and young people who are more than 16 years of age.

"The shelter will provide a warm, safe, dry place to stay for those who may otherwise spend the night on the street," said Mr. Morse. "It will offer accommodation to those unable to make use of available beds at existing shelters for a variety of reasons."

The shelter will be staffed by 20 workers, many of whom have expertise in dealing with some of the more complex issues of homelessness, including mental illness and substance abuse. Although the new shelter will not provide programming support, staff will help with access to services as required.

The province will provide a total of $230,000 in operational funding, plus renovation and furniture costs for the new shelter. The Saint Leonard's Society of Nova Scotia -- which operates a number of facilities for persons in transition, including Barry House in Halifax -- will staff and operate the shelter.

"We are very pleased that the Saint Leonard's Society has come forward and offered to operate the new shelter," said Mr. Morse. "We look forward to working with them to provide this important service to the community."

"There is a strong sense of partnership between government and the community in making this happen," said Jerry Smyth, executive director with the society. "It's been phenomenal. There is so much co-operation from all levels."

The decision to establish the temporary shelter was made a few weeks ago at a meeting between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality and about 24 community advocacy groups. The new shelter will replace the discontinued winter shelter program at Brunswick Street United Church.