The Sisters of Mercy Convent in downtown St. John’s once housed nuns. Today, the 19th century building can accommodate and house nearly 100 people who struggle to find a safe place to rest or feel at home.

The transformation of the historic building was a multi-million dollar project by the Gathering Place, a community health center and downtown St. John’s hub that has struggled to meet demand at its emergency shelter in 30 beds.

The new extension, located next to the historic Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist on Military Road, features off-white walls and gleaming floors, but there are hints of the past everywhere: stone wall sconces, large wooden doors and an original section of tiled floor with the word “Mercy” engraved on it. These pieces retain the original craftsmanship of the building from the 1800s.

The Gathering Place calls the four-story building Mercy House. There is a new emergency shelter on the first floor, which was previously offered in the Gathering Place main auditorium. The remaining floors are intended for transitional housing and supportive housing, with the latter becoming permanent residences.

As homelessness rates rise in the capital, Gathering Place housing manager Sherry Whittle says the convent’s new affordable homes will provide stability for people who have been stuck in the limbo of the shelter system or in the street.

“You actually get an extra boost in your mind,” Whittle said. “My whole mind is excited knowing that this is what we have the opportunity to provide now.”

The new shelter

The new emergency shelter has 40 beds, compared to 30 in the old shelter. The new shelter also has four separate sleeping areas and all beds now have a privacy fence, whereas the old shelter only had two separate sleeping areas and there were no walls between beds for more privacy.

Kim Grant, associate general manager of Gathering Place, says the expansion of accommodation services comes with a sigh of relief. When she started working with Gathering Place in 2020, there were over 200 guests in their system. This number has grown to more than 2,000.

“When we opened our doors with the temporary shelter, we were rarely at capacity,” she said. “Probably for the last year, we’ve been at capacity every night…And unfortunately, we’re also at a point where we’re having to turn people away at the door.”

WATCH | Learn how an 1800s convent was transformed into shelters and affordable housing:

A former convent in St. John’s can now sleep and house nearly 100 people

The convent of the Sisters of Mercy once housed nuns. Today, the Gathering Place has transformed the historic space into a new emergency shelter and affordable housing. CBC’s Jessica Singer takes us on a tour of the building and shows us how it has retained its historic charm.

While shelter clients previously gathered on Military Road waiting for a bed, Grant says they now have to go through a reception desk on the side of the building, where they will meet staff and be assigned a locker and a bed.

The new shelter opened on October 30 and its opening hours are from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily.

Transitional Housing

Transitional housing is located on the second floor of the building. It is aimed at people housed in the shelter who are trying to transition to a more permanent living situation.

“The idea of ​​our transitional floor is aimed at people who have been in the shelter for long periods of time and want to leave the shelter, but are not quite ready to live independently in the community,” she said. declared Grant.

It has 20 beds, including eight single rooms and two rooms with collective accommodation. All rooms are equipped with nightstands and mini-fridges.

Whittle says securing a spot in a transitional housing unit is done by referral and potential guests will fill out an application. People will be prioritized based on certain criteria, including how long they have been homeless.

People will have to pay for transitional housing, Grant said, but the Gathering Place still determines prices and rental agreements.

Clients stay in transitional housing for 18 months and up to two years while waiting for a more permanent housing solution.

Supportive Housing

The top two floors of Mercy House are designated for supportive housing, which will become permanent housing for some. There are 15 units on each floor, two of which can accommodate couples. Each room has a mini-fridge, microwave, sink, storage, nightstand and TV.

Supportive housing also relies on a rental agreement with Gathering Place, Grant says, but those details are still being worked out.

This option gives people more independence than transitional housing, Grant says, but staff support will still be provided. For example, she said, there will be live-in resident advisors that guests can go to if they have a problem upstairs.

Those living in supportive housing have their own key card that gives them access to the building and their room. Tenants have their own entrance through the main courtyard of the facility, which is separate from the shelter and transitional housing client reception office.

Transitional housing and supportive housing tenants have access to the building 24/7, unlike shelter guests, who must leave at 8 a.m. All guests and tenants will have access to programs in the main Gathering Place building, Grant says.

Transitional housing and supportive housing are not currently operational, but will be phased in over time.

A long time coming

The nuns of the Sisters of Mercy convent established the Gathering Place in 1994, which has grown to offer services such as daily hot meals, social groups and a dental and medical clinic.

He opened his emergency shelter in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shelter initially offered its guests Red Cross cots on the floor of its auditorium – a temporary sleeping solution for those without a roof over their heads.

“I guess we were a little naive to think people would come, stay a few nights and leave,” Grant said. “And that didn’t happen.”

She says the population of the Sisters of Mercy convent was in steady decline, and in 2020 the two remaining sisters left the convent building. That’s when the sisters offered their home to the Gathering Place to help house others.

The organization received a $2 million donation from couple Pat O’Callaghan and Paula Boucher to transform the space. The Gathering Place used this money to obtain funding from the federal and provincial governmentsand soon after, she took over the convent building and set to work.

The new facility tripled the number of people who could sleep at the Gathering Place. The biggest change, Whittle says, is that those who have been stuck in the emergency shelter system will now be able to transition to something more permanent – ​​a place they can call home.

“Now we can take someone who comes to the emergency shelter and look into the future with them, and guide them on their journey to where they need to go next, and walk alongside them in some of their darkest moments and difficult times,” she said.

Download our Free CBC News app to sign up for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador push alerts. Subscribe to our daily newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.