The framework for Saint John’s new homelessness strategy has been unveiled.
But it didn’t come without an attempt to impose much tougher restrictions.
“Housing for All” was adopted by council in July 2024. The city successfully negotiated a $3.4-million funding agreement with the provincial government in April of this year
At Monday’s council meeting, following the recommendation of city staff, councillors voted unanimously to adopt a policy framework that clarifies the principles and policies guiding how the city will address the challenges of homelessness. It also further defines the criteria that will be used in establishing the Green, Yellow and Red Zones around Saint John.
The Red Zones had been a source of contention since they were revealed at the Sept. 8 council meeting. They are areas of the city where tents, encampments and temporary shelters will not be allowed.
City officials had set a goal of relocating people from the Red Zones by the end of October. But critics said that approach would push already vulnerable people further into isolation and lead to preventable deaths.
The framework adopted by council on Monday included some changes in response to discussions with community organizations.
“The implementation plan enhancements include flexibility on timing and location of relocations on a case-by-case basis based on the unique needs of the individuals involved,” said Cara Coes, the city’s senior manager for community support services.
During discussion of the policy Monday, Coun. Joanna Killen said the framework showed the city wants to proceed in a manner both respectful and safe for those affected.
Additionally, the city will enter into a service agreement with Fresh Start Services, a poverty-related community agency. Fresh Start will perform outreach services as part of the deal.
Fresh Start executive director Melanie Vautour was part of a press conference Tuesday morning regarding the framework. She acknowledged the bumpy start, but said discussions with the city to work through the issues would allow the plan to move forward.
“We’re really happy to be part of that and involved and looking forward to our outreach team expanding and getting out there and providing additional supports to our individuals that are living on the street and doing it with the city,” Vautour said. “We have the same goal, and that’s to end chronic homelessness.”
On Monday night, Coun. Gary Sullivan and Deputy Mayor John MacKenzie both praised the contributions of agencies like Fresh Start in putting a plan of this complexity together.
“Where would be without the volunteers in our city,” MacKenzie said.
Success of programs is already evident
As part of the strategy, the city designated Green Zones. They’re city-approved temporary transitional housing sites funding in partnership with the provincial government.
So far, there are two such areas, operated by 12 Neighbours. The first is on Egbert Street, just off Thorne Avenue. As of Monday’s council meeting, only one vacancy remained in that zone.
The second is on Thorne Avenue, and is expected to be ready for clients by early November.
One resident of the Egbert Street community is Peter Smith. He was a guest of the city at Tuesday’s press conference.
“When I first got to town a few years ago, I had absolutely no direction, no sense of purpose,” Smith said. “I was terrified for my own life.”
A peaceful protest was held on the steps of Saint John City Hall Monday, prior to council voting on a framework for the Housing for All homelessness strategy. IMAGE: Bryan Tait
Smith said he was ruining relationships with family and friends in pursuit of “nothing.”
“Being an addict tends to make it your main priority as opposed to actually doing anything beneficial for your life.”
When he was given the chance to come to the Egbert Street community, Smith said it was life-changing.
“It went from me not having the slightest clue of what I want to do with my life to all of a sudden I’m actually trying again,” he said.
Now, Smith said, he’s gone from hanging out with other addicts in a shelter to getting resumés out.
“The biggest thing people start giving up on is putting effort in towards themselves,” he said. “Once they lose that, it’s a slippery slope.”
The president of 12 Neighbours, Marcel LeBrun, said stories like Smith’s have not been uncommon at the Egbert Street site.
“People who for the first time in 15 years have had an appointment with a doctor to talk about some things,” LeBrun said. “We’ve had the Horizon Street team come and provide amazing on-the-ground access to primary care and supports for everything from addictions and mental health.”
The road not taken
The success stories like Peter Smith’s may not have been possible if one councillor had been successful in taking the homelessness strategy in a different direction.
Coun. Greg Norton had introduced a motion on Sept. 8 that, if adopted, would have directed the removal of all encampments from city-owned or managed land within a 14-day period. Norton’s motion would have given council the authority to declare a state of local emergency within the city on any land where encampment conditions were deemed to pose an immediate risk to “life, health, or safety that cannot be mitigated by ordinary enforcement.”
The motion would also allow the city to work with partners to remove encampments on provincial and federal lands within Saint John. It could also use existing enforcement powers to get rid of encampments on private land.
Norton’s motion was set to be debated at Monday’s meeting, and drew a small crowd to council chambers. Many of those assembled had participated in a peaceful protest on the steps of Saint John City Hall prior to the meeting.
Saint John Coun. Greg Norton reads his motion at Monday’s council meeting. The motion would have imposed tougher restrictions on homeless encampments in the city. IMAGE: Bryan Tait
Coun. Killen opened the debate by asking Norton what made his proposal any better than the Housing for All plan that council has spent several years working on.
“I would suggest to the listening public and my fellow councillors that the plan we’ve been working on for the past four years has resulted in no substantive changes,” Norton responded.
“The city is under siege.”
Norton said his motion was not about prosecuting the homeless, but restoring a sense of safety to the city.
“It’s about restoring fairness and dignity to our community,” he added.
Coun. Mariah Darling questioned how Norton’s motion would fit into the human rights-first approach council has taken to homelessness, and what effect it might have on federal funding for the housing strategy.
“Our responsibility isn’t to the federal government,” Norton responded. “Our responsibility is to the taxpayers of Saint John.”
Norton said any federal funding pales in comparison to resources the city expends relating to emergency calls to encampments and pulls emergency crews away from what he described as their “other duties.”
Norton also said the city is losing investment as a result of the current situation.
When Darling pointed out Norton’s motion was essentially a choice between his idea and the Housing for All strategy, Norton agreed.
“We have a choice to make,” he said. “We don’t have any more time, energy or resources to waste on a plan that has resulted in no results.”
Coun. Gary Sullivan said while he did not want to discount the concerns presented by Norton, but wanted to give the strategy council had approved a chance to succeed.
Deputy Mayor MacKenzie echoed Sullivan’s comments about sticking with the plan that’s been developed.
MacKenzie said he thought Saint John was under a microscope across Canada, possibly North America, with its homelessness strategy.
“I think our credibility’s at stake,” he said.
Norton repeated his argument that the Housing for All strategy has had no success, and it was time to try a different approach.
“We have to take a hard stance on this,” he said.
But when the votes were cast, only Coun. Gerry Lowe joined Norton in support of the motion.
Supporters of the city’s homeless population burst into applause following the vote, prompting a brief recess in the proceedings.
Coun. Norton was absent from the remainder of the meeting, including the vote on the Housing for All framework.
Norton’s motion was still front of mind Tuesday morning at the city’s press conference.
Mayor Reardon was asked if she thought the motion might return to the council chamber in the future.
“We said with the Housing for All policy in the framework we adopted, we knew we were going with a human rights approach to this,” she said. “So that’s the approach that we’re taking. I can’t see us deviating from that as a team and I can’t see us as a municipality deviating from that. I can’t see us as a society deviating from that.”
