The homeless numbers in New Brunswick’s three largest cities continue to rise. According to data from the Human Development Council (HDC) the total number of people experiencing homelessness for at least one day in Moncton during August was 892. In Saint John, it was 551 and for Fredericton it was 352. City of Moncton director of bylaw enforcement and community safety Charles LeBlanc thinks the number for Moncton right now is even higher. LeBlanc confirms there are around 1,000 people experiencing homelessness and there are around 50 encampments around the city, but that number fluctuates daily. Harvest House Atlantic executive director Leon Baker said LeBlanc’s numbers sound about right to him. “There’s always your outliers of people that are in encampments, living rough, so your assumption would be that everyone’s not captured so, that number wouldn’t surprise me,” said Baker. Baker and his team are preparing for the winter months for the city’s vulnerable population and said there are enough shelter beds to go around right now. “Occupancy rate is not at 100 per cent across the board and of course now we’re working on our out of the cold plans so all shelters will go up,” he said. Harvest House will increase by 20 beds for the first week of December, Baker said. Homeless advocate John Renton has been helping out any way he can for about four years now. Renton gives out sandwiches and clothing to people living on the streets and walks around with a naloxone kit in case of an opioid overdose emergency. He said he’s seen a lot of “new faces” downtown lately. “A fair amount of new faces just kind of meandering in and you get to talk to them a little bit and you find out they’re not the old story about being bussed in from other places, they’re just showing up. And their stories are all varied. From bad backgrounds and break-ups and job loss and a lot of reasons why they’re coming,” said Renton. Renton makes sweeps in empty lots, near fences and under parked transport trucks to pick up used needles and dispose of them safely. He said he’s been seeing considerably fewer needles since the city’s overdose crisis in June when hundreds of people overdosed in a four-to-five week period. “I’ve been picking up needles on the streets for about three years now and now they’re way down compared to what they were. I kind of attest it to more responsible users. I know that doesn’t always sound like it makes a lot of sense, but I think they’re more conscious of what they’re doing,” said Renton. Renton was recently awarded with a certification of recognition from the City of Moncton for his work with the homeless and his efforts to help those in the downtown neighbourhoods. “Just stay in touch with my friends, the people on the streets. See what they need and try to fill those voids. Whether it’s food or clothing and just try and stay in touch with what’s going on and meet new people,” said Renton. As for the state of homelessness in the city right now, Baker said plans are in the works. “There’s always hope, but I would say this. The solution is not more shelter beds. The solution is recovery. The solution is supportive housing, transitional housing, bridge housing. All of which we’re working on plans with the city, with the province, the ministerial task force,” said Baker. “We can’t do it fast enough. The inflow is greater than what our capacity to handle right now from an affordable housing perspective.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
