Proposal dies to seek funds to increase security at Saint John container-site shelters

A proposal for Saint John council to ask for 24/7 supervision from the provincial government for an uptown shipping container shelter site failed after a Tuesday night council vote.

Coun. Paula Radwan proposal urged the mayor to write to the provincial government to make the request for the Waterloo Street pilot project. Launched in March, the project turned six shipping containers into micro-suites, with electricity and beds, to shelter 12 individuals.

When she first introduced the proposal last month, Radwan wanted funding for Fresh Start services, the non-profit that operates the site, to be onsite around the clock. The site is supervised by volunteers currently, she said.

Speaking with reporters following the meeting, Radwan said she was prompted by residents who live and work in the area who expressed safety concerns.

"I've had a lot of residents get a hold of me, a lot of Horizon staff as well," she said.

"They park up in the cathedral parking lot ... they're not even feeling safe going to their cars or going to St. Joseph's Hospital from their cars."

Six temporary shelters, constructed out of modified shipping containers, were installed between Waterloo and Exmouth streets on land owned by local non-profit Kaleidoscope Social Impact. (Graham Thompson/CBC)

A staff report said the provincial government does not have jurisdiction to provide onsite support for the project, which is on a vacant lot owned by Kaleidoscope Social Impact group.

Funding provided to the Fresh Start outreach team enables it to visit and support clients at this location multiple times a day, between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m., and the team is on call when the site isn't staffed. There are also security cameras, which are reviewed regularly.

Radwan's proposal "died, basically," she said.

"So [city] staff have come back and said ... the province is not going to pay for security and have just advised that volunteers are overseeing the site … if they get called, they're usually on site within five to 10 minutes, and that was sufficient."

The shelters were launched as part of a response to the deaths of three individuals this past winter resulting from homeless encampment fires and one person who lost part of his leg to frost bite.

The staff report to council said there have been circumstances both on the site and surrounding community involving police and fire services.

Staff Sgt. Matthew Weir said there have been roughly 70 calls to the police from the site since November. He said he doesn't have specific information regarding the nature of the calls, but thinks they were largely medical in nature.

The Saint John Fire Department says it has responded 30 times to the site in the last 3 months.

Melanie Vautour, executive director of Fresh Start, says the answer lies in requesting more funding for housing and supports to address homelessness. (Julia Wright/CBC)

Melanie Vautour, the executive director of Fresh Start, said in an email statement that she appreciates Radwan's concerns.

"However she did not reach out to speak with me directly before presenting the motion," Vautour said, adding that security often escalates situations.

"We approach working with individuals through respectful dialogue and our relationships. We have security systems, cameras and staff are frequently present at the site."

Vautour said the answer lies in requesting more funding for housing and supports to address challenges in homelessness.

"Security, authority and enforcement will not reduce or end it," she said.

Radwan said even though her proposal died, Mayor Donna Reardon said previously there are officers in the area on foot patrol.

"The only thing that made me feel comfortable was the fact that the mayor ... mentioned that the provincial government did pay to have four other police officers … to be walking the beat uptown."

"So hopefully that'll help kind of diffuse the situation."