I found garbage or abandoned belongings
Every community member wants where we live, work, and play to reflect pride in our community. People experiencing homelessness have limited resources for disposing of waste and moving their belongings. Here is some guidance and advice for how to best manage the appearance of garbage and/or abandoned belongings.
garbage
Call or email your municipality to discuss specific concerns or requests.
Decrease litter by adding receptacles, increasing lighting, or more signage.
Host area clean-up days to bring community members and businesses together to clean up and find solutions tailored to their needs.
abandoned belongings
When someone isn’t with their belongings it doesn’t always mean that they’ve been abandoned. Please don’t remove items unless they’ve been abandoned for several days. Remember, for people experiencing homelessness what they carry is often all they have and is needed for survival.
If it’s been less than 48 hours:
Wait until at least 48 hours have passed.
If it’s been more than 48 hours:
Call Fresh Start Services’ outreach team at 506-271-0633 to figure out if the person is coming back. The owner may be hospitalized or incarcerated for a short time.
Outreach can scan the belongings without touching them for ID and valuables like money or medication that are in plain sight.
If possible, outreach will remove items and tidy the site. If they are not able to do so, they will arrange for the removal of items and for the site to be cleaned by municipal services.
If you’re unable to connect with the outreach team, contact your municipality to have them removed.
Key Contacts:
Fresh Start Services: 506-271-0633
Municipalities:
Grand Bay-Westfield: 506-738-6400, Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Saint John: 506-658-4455, Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Rothesay: 506-848-6600, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Quispamsis: 506-849-5778, Monday-Friday, 7:30am-5:00pm
Fundy-St. Martins: 506-833-2010, Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:30pm
Hampton: 506-832-6065, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Fundy Rural District: fundyruraldistrict2023@gmail.com