Message from our Board President

Homelessness can happen to anyone. It only takes one health crisis, one relationship breakdown, one job loss to send an individual or a family into the tailspin of homelessness. People who experience homelessness come from all walks of life. They are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, sons, and daughters whose lives matter! It is a very isolating and overwhelming experience that demands the compassion and action of our whole community. As a front-line agency, The Fredericton Shelters’ doors are open to welcome individuals into a safe, compassionate space and walk along side of them as they process and work to overcome barriers to housing, find housing, and recover from homelessness. There are several contributing factors to homelessness and the solution does not belong to any one individual or organization. It is an issue that affects us as a whole community and requires the attention and coordination of all government levels, business, non-profit, faith organizations, and general community. It is for this reason that The Fredericton Shelters strives to partner in a coordinated effort with all front-line agencies and homelessness serving sectors in systematically tackling the barriers that prevent individuals and families from attaining a safe, affordable, permanent place to call home. We thank you and invite you, our community, to continue to partner with us as we serve those experiencing homelessness.

Jill Kozak

Message from our Executive Director

What does it mean to be homeless? What must it be like to walk up to the door of one of our two main shelters and ring that door bell? These are questions that I and the rest of our staff think about when we set our policies and how we interact with those who come to our doors. For many, it must be a frightening experience. For some, it must be a terribly depressing or an anxiety causing experience. It is for that reason that we commit to be non-judgmental, calm, reassuring and supportive. It is at that point that we begin the task to taking a person from hopeless to hopeful. We want the person who comes to us to understand and accept us as their new home for as long as they need us. We then introduce them to their new home. A place that is far more than just walls, a heating system and beds. They soon discover that they have landed in the best place in the world in which to regain their footing, restore their dignity and to be able to access the various programs available to them. From income assistance to medicare to housing programs to employment programs to medication support; the Shelters provides the stable and safe environment in which they can begin to rebuild or in some cases, build their lives.

It is a huge task. We assist well over 400 people a year. We provide support not just for our residents but also to those who are experiencing extreme poverty. Through our clothing bank and bus ticket programs we help all of the community. For our residents we provide laundry facilities, showers, Wi-Fi, computers, telephones, clothing, books and most importantly, we provide our residents with a permanent mailing address. We are open 23 hours a day to make the lives of our residents as normal as possible.

We do all of this by relying on the support of our community. We need that financial support to be able to maintain our three shelter locations. We rely on that support to be able to take people from hopeless to hopeful.

For those who come to our doors, we welcome them home…

Warren Maddox