Acadian Peninsula's new warming shelter welcomes first 3 clients
CBC
The Acadian Peninsula's warming shelter helped three people escape the cold on its inaugural night.
The shelter can host six people at a time and was opened Friday evening. Located at an airport near the town of Caraquet, N.B., it's open from 8 p.m. AT to 8 a.m.
Cédric Landry, director of community engagement for the Acadian Peninsula Regional Service Commission, said the shelter will be open whenever the temperature is below –10 C.
He said he was on hand for the shelter's first night. One client told him he was grateful and that the shelter was something he'd been waiting for for a long time.
"So I'd say that's the ... paycheque at the end of the day, that we can actually help people out," said Landry.
The warming shelter has six beds, a washroom, shower, washer and dryer, and some other basic necessities. There are two staff members on hand and a security guard to help the clients.
Landry said users are provided with shuttle service to and from the site.
In January, Landry told CBC News there were about 100 to 150 facing precarious housing on the Acadian Peninsula, such as couch-surfing.
On Saturday, he said under 10 people were presently considered homeless.
The shelter will remain open until the end of April, but warmer temperatures could lead to an early shutdown, said Landry.
He said the current location is only available to the shelter for one season, and what's learned will help determine what kind of facility is required for next winter.
Jennifer Pitre, director of community development for the Chaleur Regional Service Commission, said an experienced shelter co-ordinator from their region was on hand for the weekend at the shelter to ensure a smooth kickoff.
Pitre said their documents for things like intake forms, confidentiality agreements and incident reports were also provided.
"We didn't want them to have to to create all that documentation ... we just gave them all that so that they could, you know, focus more on on hiring and training staff," said Pitre.
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