'I'd like to cry': Moncton council rejects $200K loan for Humanity Project

Monctoncity council has rejected a request to lend the Humanity Project $200,000 to purchase the former Moncton Curlers' Association building.

For more than a year, the Humanity Project, which serves meals to homeless people and helps them find housing, has been sharing the building with the non-profit organization What Kids Need Moncton, which provides clothing, toys and tutoring to families in need.

Humanity Project founder Charles Burrell said in November 2016that the groups had secured $290,000 to buy the building, but the asking price was $450,000. The groups wanted city council to lend them the balance so they could buy the building.

Building unsafe

But at aspecial council meetingTuesday, fire department Chief Eric Arsenault said the 60-year-old building is unsafe.

Arsenault said fire prevention officers have been working with the groups, trying to bring the building up to a minimum standard, but that wasn't possible.

"It came to the conclusion of our fire prevention officers that the state of disrepair for the building really would have been a very expensive fix for the Humanities Project to continue being in this building."

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Burrell was not at Tuesday's city council meeting but said in June 2016 that the group felt unfairly targeted after receiving 15 visits from fire preventionofficers in a matter of months.

"I feel like, yeah, they're necessary things but they were necessary10 years ago," he said at the time.

The list of required changes at that time included fixing deficiencies in the sprinkler system, replacing the exterior exit stairway and clearing the ground floor and basement levels of all debris and storage.

Deputy Mayor Blair Lawrence read aletterto Burrell, who was not at the meeting.

Council believes in group

"The purchase of the building may not be in the cards today and certainly the safety of the building for me is a real challenge moving forward," he read. "And I don't think that should take a second seat to providing meals.We will find alternate spaces for you in Moncton."

The safety of the building for me is a real challenge moving forward.- Blair Lawrence, deputy mayor

Mayor Dawn Arnold said council's belief in the work of the Humanity Project is not in question.

"I think it was particularly poignant during the blizzard to see how you really stepped up, so thank you for that." said Arnold. "I think we all agree that you are providing a very important service to our community by feeding sometimes as many as 150 people a day."

Council voted unanimously to approve a $25,000 yearly grant for a period of 10 years for the purpose of operating a community food program.

'I'm hurt, I'm hurt'

Humanity Project volunteer Shelley Butler was disappointed after the meeting.

"I'd like to cry ... tears of sadness," she said.

I'd like to cry ... tears of sadness- Shelley Butler, Humanity Project volunteer

The Humanity Project has been in the building for more than a year, and Butler saidthere were hopes of providing accommodation along with meals.

"When the home that you first move into is no longer even an option, when that's been taken away from you ... it's ... I'm hurt, I'm hurt." she said.

Butler says the group will start looking at alternative locations.

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"We are not going to disclose any of these locations as a matter of fact," Butler said. "We're going to go in under the cover of darkness and have the fire marshals right beside us. But at this point we're going to keep all those locations under wraps."