LOWER SACKVILLE: A second public meeting regarding the Pallet homes at the Beacon House Shelter will not happen, instead there will be an email setup for question-and-answers say officials with the not-for-profit organization.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page on March 12, Cheryl Newcombe, Chair, Beacon House Board of Directors, and Jim Gunn, Beacon House Shelter Leadership Support Team Member, said that the Beacon House Interfaith Society has been operating the Beacon House Shelter to house and support 30 unhoused guests since December 2022.
This was done as a “service provider” under the authority of the provincial Department of Community Services.
“From the beginning, staff and volunteers from the neighborhood and Lower Sackville community were very deliberate in their efforts to develop the Shelter as a “community within the community.” the two said in the statement.
ADVERTISEMENT:
Gunn and Newcombe said given the level of community concern that surfaced since the announcement about adding the Pallet shelters, they are fully committed to constructively addressing the concern now that the expansion with the Pallets is underway.
“Rather than hosting a second public information session, we believe it should be more effective to (1) communicate factual information about the safe operation of the Shelter on our Facebook site and on the “Beacon House Interfaith Society” website and (2) respond individually to specific questions and concerns through an email exchange,” the statement said.
“Once our team is ready to handle the responses, this new email address will be communicated on our Facebook and website, along with some basic information in a “Q&A.”
ADVERTISEMENT:
Gunn and Newcombe said regarding safety, as Pallet guests are being carefully selected by their housing support staff.
Three staff are now on duty 24/7, and a Security guard in uniform is on patrol day and night.
“Being a good neighbor has been important to us these past 2 years and it remains so,” Newcombe and Gunn said in concluding their statement.
