Rising Tide Initiative Good For The Homeless And The Business Community

Now that funding is in place for the Rising Tide Initiative, work can get underway.

This week, the provincial government announced six million dollars over three years for the 125 unit housing project in Moncton.  This will include amenities such as food, heat, lights, television and continuous case management.  Each property will also have a peer-support person living on site to assist clients with moving forward.

The funding matches the commitment made last month by the municipal government.

But President for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton John Wishart says it is not an overnight solution.

Wishart says downtown businesses are already feeling the impacts of homelessness, with reports of graffiti, panhandling, and evidence of drugs addiction.

‘These are things that impacted their ability to conduct business, especially during COVID times when it was tough already. I think it they will just be pleased to see this sort of vote of confidence by both levels of government in finding work for a solution,” Wishart says.

He believes Rising Tide is a positive initiative, “It’s good for those who need the help, it’s good for the business community. It is good for the reputation of the city as well. We don’t want to get to the point where our downtown is seen as not a good place to invest, and to keep businesses thriving here.”

Wishart adds  this is part of the solution, and it will take time to get the initiative up and running, “This will take time to find affordable units to renovate, to get the placements in place and the supports that are crucial, so we still need to work on something in the meantime.  We’ll need to work with the shelters to provide true emergency accommodations. Work with the Codiac RCMP to make sure vandalism doesn’t continue to be an issue downtown. It is a piece of the solution but it is not the be all and end all.”

Co-Founder of the Rising Tide Initiative Dale Hicks is hoping to get the ball rolling on the plans by next month.