Homelessness in our city is a very complex, multifaceted issue that affects our whole community and so demands the attention of everyone, especially the Church of God. Together, we are removing this mountain called Homelessness! We believe that God has given SSC strategic partnerships within our community. Through these partnerships we are able to work on long term, effective solutions in helping people recover from homelessness.
On this page you can learn in greater depth about our partnerships and our vision for addressing homelessness in our city. Our initiatives to address homelessness are funded by our Care Ministry. To partner with us, you can give by send an Interac E-transfer to etransfer@ssc.church and designating the gift is for the ‘Care Ministry’, or donate using a credit card by clicking here. Information on other ways to give is found at our Giving page.
Videos & News
An Article in the Telegraph Journal on the opening of our Microhomes
A Sunday message, ‘Removing the Mountain Called Homelessness’
An overview of what we accomplished in 2020 in our Annual General Meeting report (the update on our Care Ministry ends at 28:28 in the video)
Our 4 Strategic Partnerships
There are 4 main areas of community partnerships where we continue to invest our efforts to help people in our city:
1) The Greater Church of Fredericton
In the last year we have partnered with many churches in our city to attend to the financial, social, emotion, and spiritual needs of those experiencing homelessness. The amount of families on the brink of homelessness requiring help and the scale of the financial need has been effectively met by working together with other local churches and bringing The Kingdom of God near to those who need it most. It is through this partnership that we were able to launch the SUN-Lite ministry. This is a trained team of 6 people who partner with 1 person transitioning out of homelessness, who provide supports for 12 months as the individual recovers from homelessness and finds community inclusion. Brunswick Street Baptist Church and Grace Memorial Baptist Church have partnered with us in this work.
For a deeper dive on our church partnerships, watch the video below:
2) Supportive Housing Network (SUN) Committee
A collaborative table of front-line agencies, businesses, faith agencies. The work of this committee is to provide support for 18 months to people/families who are transitioning from homelessness to successful tenancy in a safe, affordable home where recovery from homelessness is possible. Our role on the committee since 2011 is to provide Home Starter Baskets, which are full of the items needed to set up a pantry and home when someone gets their own apartment. We also are a part of committee decisions, and support the work of SUN. To learn more click here to watch this video:
Often we are collecting items to help fill our Home Starter Basket during the last week or two of each month. If we are collecting right now, we put a request to help on our Announcements page (click here to check it out).
3) By-Name List Committee
Everyone should be known by their name. This committee works to gather list of people experiencing homelessness right now in Fredericton, and makes sure they are known by name. Everyone on the committee has a role in working with people experiencing homelessness and are part of the coordinated system of care.
The role of the committee is to prioritize needs, to match available housing to clients, identify barriers, and make sure supports are offered. The goal is to decrease homelessness. We do this by taking actions to prevent people from becoming homeless (e.g. eviction prevention/diversion), provide clear and easy access for those who do become homeless, and increase the amount of people exiting the system (moving into their own home). To learn more click here to watch this video:
4) United Way of Central NB –
Grants & Micro-Homes
In 2020 & 2021, we have been the recipient of 3 community funding grants to address the the impoverishing effects of COVID-19. We also established a strong connection with the Multi-cultural Association of Fredericton through United Way and have been able to help many newcomers and refugees navigate through the effects of COVID-19. We have been able to help over 100 families through this partnership.
Also, we have a deep gratitude to United Way and the Fredericton Community Foundation. They chose SSC to be the recipient of a 4-unit micro-home build on Jaffrey Street through the Fredericton Housing First Fund. This building will be home to 4 Housing First clients who will be selected from the By-Name List. These homes are on schedule to be ready by mid to late Fall 2022. We have a team of volunteers from SSC who will help maintain the homes. They will provide a welcome space for our tenants to recover from homelessness and find community inclusion. Stay tuned for video updates as we break ground and journey to our grand opening!
Want to partner with us?
Thanks for taking the time to dig deeper and learn how we are addressing homelessness. Please partner with us in caring for our city by making a donation to our Care Ministry, which funds our homelessness initatives. You can give by sending an Interac E-transfer to etransfer@ssc.church and designating the gift is for the ‘Care Ministry’, or donate using a credit card by clicking here. Visit our Giving page for information on other ways to give.