Shelter House looks to raise $200K through donations for street outreach

Officials with Shelter House in Thunder Bay, Ont. say they're turning to the community to help make up a shortfall in funding that is forcing the temporary suspension of its street outreach program.

The SOS, or Street Outreach Services, program takes homeless, intoxicated, and other at-risk people off the streets and transports them to necessary services, like the hospital,detoxor shelters.

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"We have enough money to ensure that this program is run through the cold winter months, which is why it will start back up in the fall," saidAlexandra Calderon, the shelter's development officer.

"There just isn't enough funding to run it a full year-round."

The shelter recently announced the SOS program is set to go on hiatus from April 1, until the fall.

The program started as a four-month pilot project in December, 2013. Shelter House has been able to secure funding from the City of Thunder Bay and the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board to continue the program since 2014.

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Calderon said that money currently totalling about $150,000 per year is roughly enough to keep the program active during the cold-weather months but the shelter has been using reserve funds to run it year-round since its inception.

Those reserves are now empty, Calderon said, adding that the shelter is looking to raise $200,000 from Thunder Bay residents and businesses money the shelter said is necessary to offer the program for 12 months.

Not having the program running full-time for the first time in years will mean the community loses a valuable resource for helping vulnerable people, Calderon said.

[People] can no longer call the SOS program to pick [someone] up, they'll have to call the police, which is tying up services," she said, adding that those calls divert police and paramedics from other emergencies and are more expensive.

Thousands transported each year

Over 4,300 transfers have been made each year by the SOS program, according to the shelter. Volunteers also hand out things like blankets, food and water.

Shelter House continues to lobby the city and higher levels of government for help, said Gary Mack, the organization's executive director.

In 2014, council turned down a request to permanently increase the shelter's budget but prior to 2016 municipal budget talks, agreed to a one-time funding boost to help make ends meet. At the time, several members of council spoke to the need for the provincial and federal governments to step up.

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Calderon said she hopes asking the community directly will have a quick impact.

"What I'm hoping is that, within a couple weeks, we can raise enough awareness and call to action in the community that we can get this program fully up and running way before September," she said.