Fundraising begins for homeless shelter

Steinbach is one step closer to having a homeless shelter after The Inn received charitable status.

That status allows the organization to give tax receipts for donations, accept gifts in kind and access more grants.

Board chair Leona Doerksen spoke about their plans on the Main Street property that is the future home of The Inn. It was formerly home to a vacuum sales and service operation.

“We’re getting ready to start our capital fundraising campaign,” Doerksen said.

The mission of The Inn is to provide immediate access to low-barrier, safe, inclusive, transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness.

They will also offer diversion strategies for those from outside the region and provide referrals to community programs covering housing, employment, mental health, spiritual care and addictions recovery.

Thanks to a collection taken at Worship in the City during Summer in the City which generated $7,500 as well as other initial donations, the organization is building up their bank account.

That’s a far cry from the estimated $1 million they’ll need.

“We will be asking the provincial government for funding to help cover staffing costs,” Doerksen said in a follow-up email to The Carillon. “We will be looking to the churches in the Southeast to help with our monthly operational costs. The federal government has a grant available for our capital costs. Our financial partner, RBC will be working with us to secure any other grants that may be available to us.”

However there will still be a very big ask for local businesses.

“We really are depending on five to 10 Southeast business owners, foundations, corporations, etc. to contribute $50,000 to $100,000 each,” she said. “We realize it’s a huge ask, and if it wasn’t for the urgency of this project we wouldn’t be so bold, but the truth is there are people living in our streets with nowhere to go and we need a shelter now.”

So far response has been strong. Five community groups and churches have already contributed to the seed fund and several in-kind contributions have been pledged including in-kind labour for the build.

Doerksen said she’s been privileged to work with the group of very educated, enthusiastic board members who have developed a solid game plan and are looking for a few more to help including one that could represent the business community.

“I believe this community will hit the ball out of the park,” she added. “We will build a state of the art overnight shelter that will help get people back on their feet again.”

To learn more, donate or volunteer, go to steinbachinn.ca.

The group is also planning to launch on social media soon.

The board hopes to have shovels in the ground this year and an opening date in spring 2025.

While the board posed for photos in front of the property, one of Steinbach’s homeless residents arrived.

Declining to be named, he shared he’d been previously employed in the area for more than seven years, before losing his job and experiencing addiction. He’s been homeless for more than a year.

He said it’s tough on people who leave Southeast Community Outreach when they close for the day, especially on weekends when that space isn’t open.

“There’s a lot of other people that need shelter,” he said.

His day wasn’t over either, as he was heading for Soup’s On to get supper.