Wiseman Centre St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
The Wiseman Centre in downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland, has been operated by the Salvation Army as a men’s shelter since 1986. By 2005, it was clear that the Centre was under-resourced. It could provide only basic food and temporary shelter and the Centre’s 100-year-old building on Water Street was badly in need of repairs.
Many of the Centre’s clients were repeat visitors, between the ages of 30 and 65, and they had no support services. Providing temporary food and lodging did little to help these men find work or support services.
Now the solution, says Tanya Hutchens:
Working with the St. John’s Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness, the Salvation Army secured capital funding from the federal government’s National Homelessness Initiative. With the assistance of CMHC, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and federal and provincial government agencies, the Salvation Army closed the Water Street centre, opened a temporary centre and started renovations.
Renovations included maintaining the building’s heritage features. The Salvation Army intends the renovated building to be a source of enjoyment for the residents, to raise their self-esteem and empower them to take responsibility for their recovery. In 2007, the centre re-opened with 20 rooms for stays of less than two months. An extension to the building added 10 rooms for longer-term residents. Each has its own bathroom, microwave, refrigerator and dining table.
There is a large, well furnished common area for community activities. There is also a library, a meditation room, a job search centre, a computer and Internet access. Residents do all the cooking and cleaning at the Centre as part of their life-skills training. The Centre’s staff includes a psychologist, a social worker, a life-skills coach and an outreach worker. They have basically got everything now, notes Tanya Hutchens.
Several groups contributed to the $3-million Wiseman Centre renovation:
- CMHC and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador: $750,000 through the Affordable Housing Initiative and $240,000 in Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) funding.
- The federal government, through the National Homelessness Initiative: $1,397,500.
- The province conveyed the Wiseman Centre property, valued at $396,000, to the Salvation Army.
- The Salvation Army raised $1,225,436.
- The corporate community provided in-kind support of $119,570.
- The centre receives roughly $600,000 a year for operating costs from the provincial Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment.
