Plans to build new homeless shelter in Truro hits a snag

Plans to build a new homeless shelter in Truro, N.S., have hit a snag after an engineer recommended an environmental assessment be done before building on a vacant lot.

It's a costly step the Truro Homeless Outreach Society — the town's only homeless shelter — said it cannot afford.

"The engineer working for us pro bono could not ... give us the go-ahead to build on the site without knowing what was underground," said Eugene Murphy, the shelter's board chair.

"There was a street with houses on the property a long time ago. There could be old oil tanks buried under there. It's a costly risk we can't afford to take."

Permanent location needed

Mayor Bill Mills disagrees with the society's engineer, saying if the land was contaminated, the town would not have donated it in the first place.

The former public works building used to be at the site of the vacant lot at 12 Mill Street.

"Our staff believes the land is free and clear, so there's a difference of opinion," said Mills. 

"The value of that land, we estimate to be over $50,000, so it's a fairly generous contribution."

The shelter and the town have agreed to continue working together to find a permanent location for the society.

Searching for existing building

Murphy said the society is on the hunt for an existing 4,500- to 5,000-square-foot vacant building to help 20 to 25 people.

"We need a kitchen, couple of showers ... nothing fancy, just something that's workable and affordable that we can maintain and keep the people homeless off the street," said Murphy.

There are between 12 and 14 people currently living at the shelter, but Murphy expects numbers to grow with the recent closure of shelters in the surrounding area.

"We've had people come out of Amherst ... we've had people coming through from New Glasgow," said Murphy.

"There are more people out there. We need the space to help out the surrounding area the best we can."

Shelter operating out of church

The shelter is currently being run out of First United Church.

"The church is renting to us for a very, very low cost the back end of their building that they don't use a lot. We have access to their kitchen and the bathrooms downstairs," said Andrea Thompson a member of the board.

We are reaching out for support and are in need of financial help.- Eugene Murphy, Truro Homeless Outreach Society board chair

Thompson said sharing space in the church has never been a permanent solution. She said the shelter signed a two-year contract with the church when the not-for-profit transitioned to a year-round shelter.

The church, Thompson said, has given the shelter two extensions since signing the original lease. The newest extension expires Aug. 31, which Thompson said was all the time the society thought it needed.

"When we got this extension, we had plans to build a new shelter in Truro," said Thompson. "Chances were that we were going to be on our own feet."

Community support

Thompson and Murphy are both confident the community will help.

"The community has been there for us since starting a small, out-of-the-cold operation open only during the winter months back in 2010," said Thompson.

Murphy agrees, crediting the community for being able to keep helping people seven years later.

"We are reaching out for support and are in need of financial help. The community has been there for us in the past and we're hoping they'll come through for us once again."