Chatham Hope Haven shelter hopes good fences do make good neighbours.
The former men’s overnight shelter, which once housed 10 people, is now a day shelter serving about 60 people a day, so it has created a new fenced-in area to limit issues with garbage and noise, said general manager Loree Bailey.
“We’re trying to be good neighbors and cut down on garbage and . . . have it be well kept,” she said.
The fenced area is open during shelter hours from 10 am to 2 pm daily, Bailey said.
In the past, people often stayed out back when the shelter was closed, she said.
“Now, we can close it, cleaning anything that’s left behind and start(ing) fresh the next day,” Bailey said. “It definitely has helped,” and made it easier to maintain the premises.
Though the shelter got a “very reasonable quote” on the fence from Dad’s Fencing, it’s an extra cost the Haven has to cover, she said. “We haven’t fundraised since COVID and we’re really feeling the effects of that.”
The shelter gets municipal funding to help with staffing, but also relies on community donors and fundraising, Bailey said.
The fence project prompted the Haven to get back to fundraising with an online auction May 22-25 on its Facebook page.
Items on the block include tickets to a Detroit Tigers baseball game, a fishing charter, flight from the Chatham-Kent Municipal Airport, $500 gift certificate for fence installation, an autographed Toronto Maple Leafs hat, security camera installation, planting of a native tree, a pet portrait and gift cards from restaurants across Chatham-Kent.