THUNDER BAY — Shelter House is halfway through its fiscal year and in big need of donations to balance its budget.
The centre provides barrier-free overnight accommodations for men, women and youth, all year long including some spaces for youth.
Shelter House executive director Cal Rankin said this year the organization is currently short on funds and needs $150,000 to balance the budget for 2023.
The emergency shelter has partnered with Home Depot for their Orange Door Project, intending to raise $15,000 this year. Donations can be made either at the cash registers at Home Depot or through their online portal for the Orange Door Project. Last year, the organization raised close to $14,000 for Shelter House.
Money raised would be put towards youth accommodations, services and programming.
Rankin said the money could be used to upgrade dorms and get new mattresses, as well as the possibility of updating the bathrooms. Currently, there are only five male and five female youth beds, with youths being considered between the ages of 16 and 29.
Rankin said they try to move youth forward quickly after they arrive "...with the supports that we have linking them back sometimes to their parents and their families often doing some mediation type work so that they can return home."
He went on to say that the younger ones are more vulnerable.
"Being homeless is kind of a tough gig for youth and they can be victims, so we try to move them forward," he said.
Currently, there's only one other fundraising campaign for Shelter House that is active, called Back to Nature. This outdoor-based fundraiser has a grand prize valued at over six thousand dollars. The $10 tickets can be purchased at Chaltrek, Gear Up for Outdoors, Shelter House, A&W Restaurants and Ham’s Vision Centre, with the draw happening on July 12.
