Labrador Friendship Centre hostel closing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay

The Labrador Friendship Centre has closedits hostel and diner in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, leaving the town with one less place for visitors to stay.

The Gary BroomfieldHostel 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-Elsonsaid 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-Elsonsaid the closure and layoff of the eight to 10 staff memberscan 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 help the centre follow COVID-19 restrictions betterwere already underway, according toHefler-Elson.

However, the buildingwill reopen in some capacity, Hefler-Elsonsaid, 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 going to be a while, but it will reopen," she said.

The closure of the hostel leavesone less option in the region, which is already facing a housing crunch.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay has also grappled with homelessness for years.

Part of the Labrador Inn in the townhas acted as an emergency overflow sheltersince 2020.

But while the hostel is closed, Hefler-Elsonsaidthere are still alternatives available, like hotels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

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