Community Outreach Pilot Project workers gathering data and making connections to address homelessness in Western New Brunswick
A focused Community Outreach Pilot Project is looking to address the impact of homelessness in Western New Brunswick between Nackawic-Millville and Plaster Rock.
Project staff members Kayla Kinney and Alissa Stairs addressed the Woodstock council on Jan. 14. They outlined the project’s outreach efforts. They explained the importance of community support in addressing the serious and growing problem throughout the Western Valley region.
“We are actively collecting data to assess the level of needs in our region and gaps in service,” explained the flyer Stairs and Kinney shared at the council meeting. “We may also be able to identify current services available in our communities and provide assistance to connect to them.”
The young women, who are partially funded by New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development, are already on the job and will continue their efforts until September when they will issue a report to the department.
The project also draws support from the Town of Woodstock, the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (RSC 12), and the Western Valley Regional Resiliency Committee.
Kinney explained that the 12-month program hopes to gather the information needed to provide solutions to address the homeless problem.
“Our main focus is data collection,” explained Stairs. “We will be active in Western New Brunswick between Nackawic and Plaster Rock until September.”
Woodstock Mayor Trina Jones welcomed Stairs and Kinney, noting the vital importance of their efforts.
“It’s extraordinarily important for the girls to connect with as many people as possible,” she said.
Jones explained that young women are already on the job, although they’re only beginning to share their efforts and goals with the public.
She said Stairs and Kinney have undergone substantial training, began speaking with stakeholders, and started the search for people experiencing or facing homelessness in Upper River Valley communities.
Kinney explained people experiencing homelessness are not always as visible in rural areas as in more urban settings, but the problem exists and must be addressed.
From Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025, the Town of Woodstock employed two outreach team members to work through Western New Brunswick to determine the scope of the homelessness situation.
Jones explained a vital component of the project’s success requires connecting with the public and talking to those facing the problem and those who actively want to support finding solutions.
Jones asked the public to contact Stairs and Kinney with information about themselves or someone they know who is homeless or living in inadequate housing.
“We will find the homeless easier than the precariously housed,” Jones said.
The public can easily reach Kinney at Stairs by email at outreach@woodstocknb.ca or by phone at 506-323-9418 or 506-323-8537.
Kinney said she and Stairs are eager to gather as much information as possible and encourage community residents and businesses to get involved, including supporting the team’s fundraising efforts.
Stairs explained that the team will host the Warm Western N.B. Fundraiser for the Western River Valley Homelessness Fund on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Woodstock, from 6 to 8 p.m. It will consist of a community walk that will begin and end at the Elks Club on Connell Street.
Kinney said anyone wishing to participate can pick up a fundraising package at any of the region’s public libraries. She added that people can also donate online using a QR Code.
Jones, Kinney and Stairs also noted supporters can donate to the project through canadahelps.org.
While welcoming the project team to the Jan. 14 council meeting, Jones repeatedly stressed the importance of reaching out to them with information.
She explained you can’t always find the homeless on the street. Many are couch-surfing or facing eviction because of their inability to pay their rent.
Jones said it’s crucial Kinney and Stairs hear those stories as well.
We’re asking the public to share information about themselves or someone they know who is homeless or living in inadequate housing.
The outreach team explained the project’s goals are to tabulate data and produce reports so the Department of Social Development can “make informed, data-driven decisions on services and support systems that are needed in the region.”
They explained that those decisions should better support those experiencing homelessness by providing appropriate resources and diverting community members from homelessness.
