Homelessness
Homelessness….What is homelessness? The word is defined as a person without a home, no known address and living on the street or in a homeless shelter. When we think of veterans we usually think of defenders, peace keepers, armed forces but do we think of homelessness? Probably not. Homelessness in veterans is fairly common as some are victims of mental illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, and post traumatic stress disorder. In 2014, 3.3% of homelessness people in Halifax were veterans. So what are the services that are available to people who are homeless in our area?
ReConnect:
ReConnect Street Intervention Program at 281 St. George Street, provides short and long term assistance through outreach to youth and adults who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless, all in an effort to increase their knowledge of, and ability to access, available resources. In 2015 ReConnect’s Street Outreach saw 1758 individuals and Drop-in had 4640 visits. In October of this year ReConnect’s Drop in statistics showed a 12% increase to last month. ReConnect is very busy with their street intervention, Drop-in and helping with requests whenever possible.
Youth QUEST:
The word QUEST was used as an acronym that stands for: Quality, Understanding, Empowerment, Self-sufficiency, Transition. The program provides case management, client assessments, and pre-employment and employment preparation services to at-risk youth 16 to 24 years old. QUEST Case Management assists clients in finding and accessing appropriate services and resources, helps identify barriers, and advocates for client services to help youth reintegrate into the educational or vocational sector.
Youth QUEST and ReConnect work together in some cases for the welfare of youth at risk in Moncton.
Salvus Clinic:
The Salvus Clinic’s objective is to provide access to Primary Health Care to those within our area suffering with issues relating to poverty, mental health and addictions. They understand that simple health problems can become unmanageable when basic needs for food, shelter and medications can’t be met. Salvus Clinic treats the whole person.
In the last two years, as a result of the findings from the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s At Home/ Chez-soi research demonstration project, Salvus and some of our community partners have developed two, six unit Peer Supported Housing buildings. The purpose of these units, which Salvus manages through on-site Peer Support, is to provide housing to those who can’t maintain housing through mainstream housing programs.
The Salvus Clinic links with various community agencies, for the purpose of improving wrap-around services to meet the complex needs of their clients.
House of Nazareth:
Situated at 14 Clark Street, Nazareth House offers emergency shelter in a safe environment to help vulnerable persons. In 2015, they received 722 admissions; an average of 16 clients per night. The client is helped in finding stable and affordable housing, community resources, public services and employment services etc. Bagged lunches, meals, and a second hand store are other services which House of Nazareth provides.
Karing Kitchen:
This is the 30th year for the Karing Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Moncton. It is run on donations from food banks, local businesses and members of the public. The Karing Kitchen served 301 Meals in October and 106 in November up to November 10.
Drop-in:
In 2001 two women from this congregation started up a Drop-in Center for the homeless and working poor in the Social Hall of Central United Church. When construction for the Community Peace Centre began the Drop-in moved to St. George’s Anglican Church. This is a safe place for people to come on Wednesday afternoons for a time of socialization, card games, bingo and a light lunch. There is usually a representative from ReConnect in attendance. Volunteers from three churches give their time on Wednesday afternoons on a monthly rotation. In addition, St. George’s Anglican has been hosting Community dinners for approximately ten years and breakfast for four years.
The Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee
Since there are a number of agencies that provide assistance, the Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee was established in 2000 to bring together agencies that work with the homeless and those at-risk, and to put the issue on the public agenda. This year, they are working with all levels of government on a “housing first” strategy that meets the needs of our province’s most vulnerable citizens. The need is there: 862 people lived in homeless shelters in 2015.
Here at Central our Action Plan encourages us to engage with groups supporting potentially marginalized people. We, as a congregation, welcome the homeless and support the organizations within Moncton that work together for the welfare of people who struggle to make ends meet. I am pleased that we are able to help these various agencies as they provide assistance. The fact that in our day and age, there are still people who are homelessness in Moncton, across Canada and around the world I find is a perplexing issue. Is it the same for you?
References:
http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/communities/homelessness/publications_bulletins/veterans_report.shtml
Gillian Johnson
Director, Outreach Programs and Services / YMCA of Greater Moncton /
Youth impact.org
Salvusclinic.com
Maison-nazareth.org
monctonhomelessness.org
centralunitedmoncton.com
St.George’sanglican