Brantford’s largest shelter reopens two months after fire

An image of Rosewood House in Brantford. (Source:Rosewoodhouse.on.ca)

Nearly two months after a fire shut down Brantford’s largest homeless shelter, the doors have reopened.

Tim Philp, the executive director of Rosewood House, said they are staggering the return of clients.

They were welcomed back for the first time Monday night.

“We had nine come in yesterday. And today we're bringing another ten people in,” Philp said.

Philp said by the end of Tuesday, the 19 people who were being housed in motels will be brought back.

“Other people have been backing up in the intake system, and then we're going to start bringing those in. By the end of the week we'll have a full house here,” he said.

Fire damage in the kitchen at Rosewood House in Brantford. (Provided)

On Sept. 17 a fire started in the kitchen of the shelter, displacing 40 people.

The kitchen is still out of service and the Salvation Army will continue to provide meals.

Outside of the kitchen, they have replaced smoke-damaged appliances.

Social services, like harm reduction, are on their way back too.

Philp said the Brant County Health Unit organizes that program.

“Because we just opened up quite suddenly, they haven't given us our supplies yet. We'll have the harm reduction back in another day or two,” he said.

An original damage estimate assumed Rosewood would be closed for eight months.

Philps said hey have been able to reopen after less than two months, thanks to teamwork.

“The cooperation here has been tremendous between the City of Brantford, SOAR, community services and the Salvation Army, along with corporate places like, Farm Boy has helped us out a great deal,” Philps said. “That's one of the things that I really like about the Brantford community is that when there’s a problem people get together and they all pull together to make things happen.”

Philp said more help is always appreciated. The shelter is always accepting donations.

Donna May’s story

Donna May is one of the Rosewood clients who had been staying in motels over the last seven weeks. She was there the night of the fire and is very excited to sleep at Rosewood again for the first time in a while. She said she feels safe there.

“In the motel, and Sherwood, it was all the drugs, and scary,” she told CTV News.

Sherwood is a motel in the City of Brantford.

Some clients were also being offered motel rooms in the city of Paris depending on availability each night.

Since the fire, she had moved motels a few times.

“We had to go to the Sherwood, and then I went to Paris and then back to Sherwood and then finally here to Taj Mahal and to the fantastic staff and supervisors.”

May called Rosewood House the Taj Mahal, in comparison to the hotels and motels she's been jumping between for the last seven weeks.

Before the fire, May had been living at Rosewood and previously spent seven months in hospital. She says she found herself in this situation. needing help from Rosewood, because she is going through a divorce.

“If anyone needs help, this is the place to come,” May said.