Labrador Friendship Centre hostel closing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay
CBC
The Labrador Friendship Centre has closed its hostel and diner in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, leaving the town with one less place for visitors to stay.
The Gary Broomfield Hostel mainly housed and fed people coming into the region for medical appointments, according to Jennifer Hefler-Elson, the Friendship Centre's executive director.
"It's a very sad, very difficult decision. It's not something that we did lightly," Hefler-Elson said Friday.
"We've been dealing with issues since COVID started, and we've been able to stay open mostly because of what the government has put in place to assist… You can't continue on like that."
Hefler-Elson said the closure and laying off of the eight to 10 staff members can be attributed to COVID-19, which she says has greatly affected services in the past two years. The hostel and diner were closed for three months in 2020, along with a temporary closure in 2021.
The centre closed its doors just one day after an announcement from the Friendship Centre on Facebook. Renovations to make the centre more in-line with COVID-19 restrictions were already underway, according to Hefler-Elson.
However, the building will reopen in some capacity in the future, Hefler-Elson said, and the Friendship Centre's other services won't be affected.
"We will be determining what we will be offering in that space, and how we'll go about doing it. It's gonna be a while, but it will reopen," she said.
The closure of the hostel leaves one less option in the region, which is already facing a housing crunch.
Happy Valley-Goose Bay has also grappled with issues surrounding homelessness for years.
Part of the Labrador Inn in the town has acted as an emergency overflow shelter since 2020.
But while the hostel is closed, Hefler-Elson said there are still alternatives available like hotels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
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