A senior director at a Moncton homeless shelter says major investments are needed to help deal with homelessness.
Marc Belliveau of Harvest House said more people have been accessing their services since the pandemic.
“What we really need is large investments that we’ve never seen before to get caught up to where we need to go,” Belliveau told Moncton council on Monday night.
“We are still years behind the investments we need within this sector to get the meaningful change we need to see in our community.”
Belliveau was answering questions as part of a presentation by the Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee.
The committee provided an update on its efforts as it relates to homelessness in the city of Moncton.
Community Coordinator Andrea Anne said they just completed their fifth point-in-time count two weeks ago.
The survey provides a snapshot of those experiencing homelessness on a given night, she told council.
Anne said the number of individuals surveyed with each count has continued to increase over the years.
“In 2016 there were 59 individuals, in 2023 there were 337. Dare say that our most recent will be higher,” said Anne.
Preliminary figures from the latest count show an estimated 550 people are currently experiencing homelessness, according to the Human Development Council.
The full results from the latest point-in-time count are expected to be released sometime in February.
Anne said this is one of the many tools groups like her use to help identify trends and inform policy decisions.
Monday’s presentation came just hours after the Department of Social Development announced more shelter beds were open in Moncton.
There are now 319 shelter beds available in the city and a 35-seat warming centre at the Bridge to Home Hub.
Belliveau said he feels confident they are ready to help the homeless population once again this winter.
He noted that out-of-the-cold shelter agreements were in place many months before the Dec. 1 start date for the additional beds.
“We started filling beds in November. Even before the additional funding kicked in, we were putting people on couches and cots to get them out of the cold,” said Belliveau.
“The only lack of confidence we might have is not knowing how many people are still on the street every night that need a bed or desire to come in and have a bed.”
