The pastor behind a 36-bed expansion at the River City Vineyard shelter says he intends to start accepting new clients this Friday and wants the city’s building department to give him approval this week.
George Esser says meeting all the city’s regulations is a challenge that has created months of delays.
“They keep throwing roadblocks at me,” he said Monday. “I want to work harmoniously with everyone, but this is just not right.”
Esser said it’s about to get much colder for men and women experiencing homelessness in Sarnia and unanticipated building regulations related to the $1-million renovation keep cropping up.
“I’ve done everything and they just keep finding more little things,” he said. “The Lambton County building inspector said everything was okay when I was working with them because there was a staff shortage at city hall. Then, when the city inspector got back, they said no.”
The River City expansion, which will provide 16 beds for women and another 25 new beds for men, has been more than three years in the making and was originally scheduled to open in the spring of 2023.
When Esser was told the windows in the former YMCA building on Mitton Street did not meet code for a shelter, $50,000 was spent to recess the windows. The project was delayed another six months.
A revised Nov. 5 date for opening wasn’t possible when a new list of requirements was handed to him, said Esser. Some were as simple as painting yellow lines near the exits but others involved hiring a service to respond to emergency calls, in addition to 24/7 security already hired for the shelter.
“I worked day and night to make Nov. 5 happen. Now, I don’t want to get anyone riled up, but I said I’d open on Friday, before Christmas, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Esser said.
“There’s people outside waiting for these beds. The inspectors say they are concerned about the very small chance of something happening if one of these regulations isn’t met.
“There’s so little chance of that. Aren’t they concerned about the people out in the cold who may die?” Esser said.
He said he’s tried to adhere to all building codes and has passed fire, plumbing and electrical inspections.
But the city’s building inspectors “keep adding to the list of what they want every time they come through.”
He had more requirements handed to him Friday but hopes they’ve all been met and the building inspector will give a green light this week.
A city hall spokesperson said no one from the building department is available to speak to The Journal.
The $1-million expansion has been financed through donations and “some very good deals” from local tradespeople and businesses, Esser added. A final $100,000 donation is being presented Tuesday from a private donor to cover the cost of the additional work required to meet building regulations in the last few months, he said.
River City Vineyard has operated a shelter in its basement for about 17 years. When the expansion opens, the building will have 70 beds in total.
There continues to be a shortage of shelter beds in Sarnia, says Myles Vanni, executive director at the Inn of the Good Shepherd, which operates The Lodge shelter.
He said he “feels for George” because of delays the Inn experienced last year when working to open an emergency shelter at the former Laurel Lea-St. Matthews’ Church.
The beds were needed during the cold winter season, but didn’t open until March because of “code requirements,” Vanni said.
There is a particular need for more beds for females as the number of women living on the street is increasing in Sarnia, he added.
“We’re seeing a shift,” Vanni said. “It used to be about one-third of the beds were needed by women. Now it’s 50/50. We’re looking at putting bunk beds in at the lodge so we can take more.”
This year, the emergency shelter at Laurel Lea-St. Matthews -called Out of the Cold - opened in October with 26 beds for men only.
It’s been operating at nearly full capacity, Vanni said, and additional cots are being ordered.