‘We’re losing it all’: Moncton shelter to phase out community services

The Harvest House in Moncton is phasing out meals and other services for non-residents.

It’s lunch time at Harvest House Community Centre and Shelter in downtown Moncton.

Staff have made dozens of sandwiches for clients, and members of the community who have popped in for a bite to eat.

Wayne Peters isn’t a resident of the shelter, but he frequently makes the short walk for a meal, but that’s not going to last.

“I use other facilities here too. Laundry, they do here for us and they’re shutting that down. We’re going to have to find our own way of doing stuff. And this is where we get our meals and the meals here are pretty good. Very delicious meals here, but we’re losing it all,” said Peters.

Harvest House Executive Director, Leon Baker, confirmed to CTV News on Tuesday that the organization will stop providing meals and services to non-residents of the shelter.

“Because the need is so great now in the community, we can’t afford as an organization to feed the community as a whole. We’re serving 700 meals a day, 365 days a year,” said Baker.

The 60 residents of the shelter, plus the men and women in addiction recovery programs, will continue to receive three meals a day, but not the working poor, seniors and newcomers who use the service.

“Those are the folks that we are no longer going to be able to serve,” said Baker. “With a heavy heart, we’ve had to make that decision to ensure that we have continuity for the organization moving forward, but there’s no way that we can afford the overhead cost, the food cost to serve 700 meals a day.”

Harvest House will use a phase out approach to ensure they allow the community and the people they serve to adapt.

This week, laundry service will be discontinued, and breakfast will be for shelter guests only.

The following week only a full supper will be available for the community.

From July 2 on, meals will be for shelter guests only.

That’s bad news for David Messenger and his partner Tamara Fitzgerald who fled the wildfires in southern Manitoba to come to Moncton.

Messenger was employed, but his job was getting too physically demanding for the 62-year-old.

For now, the couple along with their two dogs and a cat, are living out of a camper trailer.

“We wanted to start a new life,” said Messenger.

They’ve been eating at Harvest House until they can get back on their feet.

“When we came here, we didn’t have anything. By the time we got here we had spent everything we had on fuel. We didn’t even have any food,” said Messenger. “We’ve been getting three meals a day at Harvest House, and they’ve been letting us use the showers. Otherwise, where are you going to go to get clean?”

Fitzgerald said the news is disappointing for them, but she’s also worried about those living on the streets.

“There are people that are more in need that could really use their services all around,” said Fitzgerald.

Baker wanted to make it clear provincial funding hasn’t been cut for programs; they just can’t keep up with the demand and the additional monthly expense of $38,000 to feed anyone in the community who needs it.

A spokesperson for the Department of Social Development confirmed to CTV News funding has not been reduced to Harvest House.

Baker did however go to Social Development and the Department of Health to ask for more assistance.

“Unfortunately, when they came back, they weren’t able to provide the funding that we need in order to feed the community at large,” said Baker.

The Department of Health did raise their annual grant for food from $5,000 to $20,000 a year.

“But when our costs are $38,000 a month to feed the community at a whole, at large, it just wasn’t enough to meet the needs,” said Baker.

Baker said their loyal donors have been very good to them, but looking for a nearly additional half million dollars annually to keep programs for the community running might be too much to ask.

If someone were to come forward, Baker said they would certainly keep the programs going.

However, Baker said the shelter won’t say no to anyone desperate for a meal.

“Reality is if somebody really showed up at our door, absolute dire straits in need, you’re not turning anyone away,” said Baker.

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