Kentville business community throws support behind homeless shelter at public meeting
Some residents still concerned about public safety, most vulnerable falling through gaps in services
The head of an organization that represents businesses in downtown Kentville, N.S., said his perspective on homelessness in the community has softened, but some residents are still concerned about their safety.
Nearly 300 people attended a public meeting at the Kentville Fire Hall on Thursday evening to hear a panel of experts answer questions on topics like public safety and the role of the community's resource centre for people experiencing homelessness.
“When you don't know the information, you tend to think the worst and you tend to think you know no one's doing anything about this and you feel angry that the community is in this position,” said Paul Dixon, president of the Downtown Kentville Business Association, which helped organize the meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide residents with more information on the current response to homelessness in Kentville and across the province, what the plan is moving forward and to invite members of the public to ask questions and provide feedback.
The panel was made up of representatives from Nova Scotia Health, Kentville Police Service, the province’s Department of Opportunities and Social Development and Open Arms Resource Centre, which operates the shelter in town.
Dixon, who also owns a property management business, said he used to be very angry because his properties were being damaged and vandalized, but that changed once he talked to staff at the resource centre.
“When you actually start looking into it and you find out the work that people are doing, the efforts that are being made, the anger goes away,” he said.
‘Better to work with people than against them’
Leanne Jennings, the executive director of Open Arms Resource Centre, made a presentation outlining the services the centre provides and how it operates.
Jennings also provided statistics on how successful they were in connecting shelter users with permanent housing and noted a lot of the times users are being moved outside of Kentville to another community.
The owner of a business next door to one of the shelters spoke to the crowd at Thursday’s public meeting and urged them to see the homeless people hanging out downtown as human beings.
“I can't avoid walking past them or being near them, so I made a decision very early on. Why not say 'Hi'? Why not engage? It's better to work with people than against them,” said Ruth Wright, owner of Bloom Box.
Wright said she’s made it her mission to try to make someone’s day a little bit better every day. Whether that’s buying someone a hot coffee on a cold day or a bottle of water on a warm day, she said a small gesture can go a long way.
She has tried to treat the shelter users who hang around her store with respect and she’s received it in return, she said.
“They come into my shop and break up my boxes for me,” Wright said. “They carry heavy bags for us to our cars. They help me load up my flower arrangements into my car for deliveries and sometimes they give me a hug, you know, and I love that.”
Public safety a top concern
Many residents raised concerns over public safety during the meeting. Organizers invited attendees to write questions or feedback on sticky notes and post them under certain themes such as safety, policy and health and wellness.
However, several people stood up or raised their hands to ask questions or make comments during the meeting.
“I don't believe that anyone has an issue with the homeless people and wanting to help them,” said Jennifer Holleman.
“It's the individuals that have the severe mental illness, along with the severe drug addiction that also are homeless and I do believe those are the individuals that this town is more concerned about,” she said.
It’s these individuals who are falling through a gap in services and make her feel unsafe, Wright said. She said she and family have witnessed people downtown acting erratically and hurting themselves and she’s worried they’ll hurt someone else.
Ken Reade, deputy chief of Kentville police, also spoke to the crowd Thursday and talked about the difference between feeling unsafe and feeling uncomfortable.
Calls for service have increased in recent years, Reade said, but serious crime has not gone up.
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