Brandon drop-in centre permanently closed due to escalating violence

Escalating violence and safety concerns have led staff to permanently close a downtown Brandon drop-in centre for people experiencing homelessness effective Thursday.

Blue Door, which provided services including laundry and access to food, a public washroom and shower for approximately 80 people daily, has been operating since 2021 through Ask Auntie Brandon. 

"This was not an easy choice, and we recognize the profound impact this will have on clients, staff and our community," said the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, which funds the drop-in, in a social media post last week.

BNRC board members said they are committed to finding alternative support for those affected by the closure and would not comment further when contacted by CBC.

Other programming and services offered through Ask Auntie Brandon will continue to run, the post said.

Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates said the Blue Door's closure at 31A 9th Street "has been a long time coming."

"Certainly it started out very well-intentioned and there were still a lot of important needs being met through that facility, but unfortunately the safety considerations became so pronounced that it superseded the viability of keeping that space open," he said.

Over the last two months, police have responded to approximately 25 calls at Blue Door for reports of assaults, including an assault that led to the death of a woman, and weapons-related offences and overdoses, he said.

While Blue Door occupied the main floor of the building, multiple people lived in the suites located upstairs which became "problematic" as fights broke out between residents and community members accessing service, Bates said.

Blue Door reduced its hours of operation from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in late March. Bates said police were recently stationed at the building for two to three weeks during its opening hours in an effort to crack down on violence, but lacked resources to maintain a continued presence at the building. 

He expects nearby organizations serving the homeless population in the downtown area to see an influx of people accessing their services, including the possibility of a longer lineup at the 7th Street Health Access Centre for those needing to shower.

"I certainly do expect that we're going to see, you know, that gap realized somewhere else where they have volumes maybe they haven't experienced before," he said.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said staff at the centre had no control over what was happening with the residents upstairs in the building, but that closing Blue Door was "a decision that had to get made," to protect vulnerable people.

"We're going to do everything we can as a community … to make sure that we can find positive solutions for everybody," he said.

So far the city and various stakeholders haven't found another location for the centre.

"There's no preferred spot," Fawcett said.

"Even in our brief, you know, last few weeks of trying to figure out, 'OK, what is the best way to try to do some things here' is, anywhere there is a location, nobody wants it."

From January to March, 36 per cent of police dispatches have been to the downtown area, Bates said.

The police service is hoping to hire between seven and nine cadets over the next few months who will help patrol the area and intervene in escalating situations.