Homeless man fears being forced into the cold

A homeless man in Charlottetown says he's in desperate need of a place to sleep after P.E.I.'s only men's shelter told him it is time to move on.

Chris Nettleton spends his days busking in the cold in downtown Charlottetown, trying to make enough money for a place to live.

"I've got medical issues that prevent me from working right now, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do at this point," said Nettleton.

"As of tomorrow, I'll be sleeping in the TD bank alcove."

Nettleton said for the past couple of months he's been back and forth between a friend's couch and the Island's only men's shelter, the Salvation Army's Bedford-MacDonald House. But he said the couch is no longer available and shelter staff have told him he needs to leave.

"You're only allowed to stay for seven days out of the month. It's an emergency shelter and tonight's my last night," Nettleton told CBC News Monday.

Salvation Army Capt. Jamie Locke said staff do regularly tell men to move on after seven days. The hope is that will push the men to find something more long-term, often with the help of social services. But Locke said there is no hard limit on use of the shelter.

"Even if a person has reached the end of their stay or we'd like to see them move on and find a more permanent situation, we would never see anybody in the cold on the streets," he said.

Nettleton said he was turned down for social assistance, and he is not making much money busking in the winter, leaving the shelter as his only option.

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