Sussex resident asks for town hall meeting to address homelessness in community
Mayor Marc Thorne says town meeting would also show public what services already exist
A Sussex woman is trying to organize a town-wide effort to address homelessness in the community.
“Social media has definitely played a huge role in it, with people, you know, saying a lot of negative things about people in our community,” said resident Leeann Nichol.
“I wanted to make people more aware and kind of pull the negativity away from individuals and focus on the big picture here, which is we have a crisis in our town, and we need to focus on what we can do to help those that are unhoused in our community and that are living rough on the streets.”
Nichol said she’s involved with Street Team Sussex, an organization that delivers meals and basic necessities to homeless people in the community.
She said she hears a lot from people that the cost of living is too high and there isn’t enough housing in Sussex — causing a snowball effect that results in homelessness.
Nichol said she wants to see the low-income housing in the community utilized better, noting there are some vacant units that she would like to see filled.
She would also like to see some transitional housing put in place or a warming shelter.
Recently, she spoke to town council about her request — having a meeting with stakeholders, such as RCMP, ambulance dispatchers, mental health professionals, councillors and the local MLA, so that people in the community can ask questions.
Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne said he admires what Nichol is doing, but he thinks one of the most difficult things is trying to get the word out about the resources that are available.
“We have community partners like the Kings [Regional Service Commission] … but we also have the Salvation Army, we have [The Sussex Sharing Club], which is an extremely important food sharing organization in our community, we also have a transition house,” said Thorne.
“There's good work going on all the time. It's just that these people do their work very quietly, respecting the privacy and dignity of those who are actually receiving the help. So these people are invisible in the community.”
Still, he said addressing the gaps, such as having a place for someone to immediately escape the cold, is an area where the town can “do better.”
He said there are seven unhoused people in the community and two have just been taken in by concerned residents, leaving five people living rough at the time.
The people living rough, Thorne said, are regular clients of the local Salvation Army and starting this week there will be a social worker and Horizon Health Network nurse at the Salvation Army where people go to pick up food supplies.
And he said since the regional service commission has taken over community development responsibilities, it has helped place over 22 people in housing with supports.
Thorne said he supports Nichol’s idea of having a town hall meeting with residents and stakeholders.
“Perhaps there's some things that we're not touching on — one was mentioned earlier about having a warming shelter, that's a very good idea, but we can talk about that,” he said.
“But also it's … an opportunity for people to gain an understanding of what services are going on. You know, on social media, I read a few comments in recent weeks where some people felt that absolutely nothing was being done in Sussex, and nothing could be further from the truth.
“It'll be a learning opportunity and an opportunity to share ideas and maybe make a better day for some of those that are in need of help.”
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With files from Information Morning Saint John