THUNDER BAY -- The need for a warm place to go in Thunder Bay will increase with the plummeting temperatures.
Several warming shelters, including People Advocating for Change through Empowerment (PACE) on Victoria Avenue, have seen an increase as to how many people they serve throughout the day.
Executive director Georgina McKinnon said Thursday that they went from a minimum of 90-100 people a day signing in to as many as 150 on any given day.
“As the temperatures drop, people are coming back more often,” McKinnon said. “I had one of our clients come up and tell us that he's clean and sober for a month now and that he wouldn't have been able to do it without having PACE to come to.
"We give them this as a home and we give them chores to do, which gives them a sense of purpose," McKinnon said.
PACE opened its doors on the south side of the city on December 1, whereas last year they had to welcome people in November.
Clients like Codey Little have been utilizing PACE since it re-located from Algoma Street South.
“It helps out the community quite a bit. It's helped get me clean and stay on track. They help me just do what needs to be done. If I need any kind of help, I could always ask for it,” Little said.
“I get to see friends here. Some of the friends still use and I don't want to get caught up in that. It's a safe place for me to be able to see my friends at times.”
McKinnon mentioned that the clients named PACE the home for the homeless.
“A lot of our clients are either unhoused or precariously housed. If they do have a house, they have nothing in it. PACE is a place for them to come and enjoy their day, get a nice hot shower, do some laundry, use the computers and the telephone. What I get from the clients, we give them exactly what they need in order to get through their days.”
PACE is in need of hats, mitts, coats, boots and medium and large-sized men's clothes.
Meanwhile the Salvation Army’s Journey to Life Centre on Cumberland Street North would welcome monetary donations as well as winter clothing that can be used for their clients.
Executive director Gary Ferguson stressed that his organization is working with community partners to ensure that everyone has a place to be at this time of the year.
“We sit on many panels and committees, but we do meet weekly with Shelter House, Grace Place and Urban Abbey to ensure that we are able to house individuals in the community. We are the predominant emergency shelter service in the community at this time but we work together to make sure that we're able to house everyone,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson added that they have increased their overflow number to accommodate 42 individuals in the emergency shelter.
They also have the shelter open throughout the day so residents do not have to leave the building.
Ferguson also mentioned that helping out the less fortunate is crucial.
“This year was a challenge in the sense that the cold weather snuck up on us. We were used to having no snow for quite a significant period of time. We knew it was coming so we were preparing for that. But again, this is something we face yearly in dealing with the cold.”
The emergency shelter is open year-round but organizers planned to accept overflow clients beginning in November.
