Grace's Doors Never Close as it Shelters Women

CARING MATTERS
Published Thursday December 6th, 2007
Appeared on page B8

There but by the Grace of God go I.

That expression is known to most and used by many. It is on this premise that Grace House was named.

Grace House is Fredericton's homeless shelter for women. It may come as a shock to some there are homeless women in this city.

They do not fit the criteria for a transition house as many do not have children or have custody of children and for obvious reasons they should not be housed at the men's shelter.

That was the sad case before Grace opened in 2001; the men's shelter was co-ed.

Seeing the need, the Fredericton Community Foundation gave a kick-start grant of $20,000 to a campaign to establish a shelter for homeless women, then gave a $20,000 donation as the campaign picked up steam.

That got Grace's doors open in 2001, but it's been a struggle to keep them open ever since.

Brian Duplessis, the newly appointed executive director of Fredericton's emergency shelters said Grace does not receive government funding separate from the men's shelter.

Government funding of $60,000 to $70,000 a year is given to the men's shelter and shared between both.

It costs about $400,000 a year to run the shelters, most of which comes from community donations and fundraising events such as the current Buy a Night campaign.

Grace House, at 275 Brunswick St., has an interesting history that dates back to the 1800s. It still has the feeling of a home, as opposed to a shelter, as I found on a tour of Grace I recently took. Duplessis likes to encourage anyone interested in the shelter's work to come for a tour.

Grace was an old homestead and staff work to preserve that feeling. Grace houses up to 11 residents at a time.

There is a lovely sitting room, a kitchen area, shower and bath and two bedrooms with three beds, one with two beds and a single room.

Each resident makes her room her own with personal items, not much different than any of us in our own bedrooms.

Residents are in a situation in their life where they have been dealt a bad hand. Many suffer the same homeless issues as males, addiction, a string of bad luck, mental issues. Some residents have jobs and are working toward independence.

The transient can stay free for up to seven nights. But residents who are working through life issues and want to call Grace home for a time pay a fee. It's based on income.

Therein lies an enormous challenge for many of the residents trying to become independent. A single individual without a disability receives $285 a month in social assistance. Many rooming houses charge $300 per month for a room.

Social assistance rules don't allow sharing a room with someone who is also receiving assistance.
Last year, both shelters gave refuge to 500 different people for a total of 14,000 bed nights. Grace House housed 100 of those. A shelter never closes its doors; so Grace's committed staff of 11 cover the work 24 hours a day 365 days a year.