Warm Up Centre in Meadow Lake sees good response

Bundschuh noted another organization, called Homeplate, is working on creating a permanent homeless shelter in Meadow Lake.

“We hope they will be operational by the fall so they will be able to provide our homeless community with a little stability,” she said.

The Homeplate organization is also working on a separate initiative to create transitional housing.

Bundschuh said the Door of Hope’s Warm up Centre that’s open now is not a place to sleep. But, staffed by volunteers, it provides a warm place for those who drop in during the night.

“We’ve had quite a few people staying in here,” Bundschuh said. “For awhile, we had about 20 people a night. But I think a lot of those people, they weren’t here because they had to be here. They were here because they know people that are here. “

She said technically people cannot sleep there because the venue is a drop in centre, not a shelter.

People will sometimes nap on the couches or at the tables though, wherever they can find a little space to rest. But there are no beds at the facility.

The facility is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

“We lock the doors at 11 p.m. So, anyone that’s staying here that needs shelter for the night is expected to be in prior to 11 p.m.,” Bundschuh said. “If they leave in the middle of the night, they are typically not allowed to come back in.”

The organization doesn’t want to see people coming and going throughout the night, as that can create potential security hazards.

This is the first and last year the Warm up Centre will be available.

Bundschuh said the Door of Hope board of directors had concerns about the homeless population, and the lack of housing available in the community.

“There was a great deal of concern about people freezing,” she said. “Because we had a real cold snap that had come in December. So, that’s what prompted the desire to open up here temporarily.”

Organizers decided not to offer the service again next year because the logistics are too much for the non profit that’s main use is as a drop in centre and a soup kitchen.

Bundschuh added, as a challenge, some people coming to stay overnight will bring a lot of their personal belongings, which the centre doesn’t have the space to accommodate.

As well, the cost to pay for security overnight has added up for the organization.

“It’s increased our payroll by 50 per cent minimum,” Bundschuh said. “It’s come at a huge cost to us. We’re still trying to find more funding and support to help us to pay for what we’ve done this far, and to finish out the last two weeks of [March].”

The Warm up Centre has seen a good response from the community. As well, several individuals, businesses and churches have stepped up to donate to the cause.

However, it’s not quite enough.

“We’re almost there, but we still do need more support to come in to help cover [the costs],” Bundschuh said.

She is still glad the Warm up Centre has been available to help people this winter, in any case.

“We care about the people that come in here very much,” Bundschuh said. “They are part of our community. We see most of them just about every day. So, knowing they have a safe place to stay, it’s important to us, and gives us some peace of mind.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @meadowlakenow

by Angela Brown

Warm Up Centre in Meadow Lake sees good response

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