There’s no single answer to the homelessness problem but 140 people who turned out to walk in the Coldest Night of the Year event know that everyone can make a difference,
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The biggest fundraiser for Why Not City Missions, which has grown to encompass two residences, a drop-in center and multiple services aimed mainly at young people, raised about $55,000 Saturday, along with continuing awareness of both the problem and parts of the solution.
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“Poverty, rent prices, mental health issues, drug addiction issues – they all play a part in homelessness,” said Charlie Kopczyk, the now-retired executive director of Why Not.
“I don’t think we’re going to eradicate homelessness but we can do what we can to support these people.”
Gathering at the Mohawk Park pavilion, the walkers and event volunteers were commended by politicians: MP Larry Brock, MPP Will Bouma and Mayor Kevin Davis brought a contingent of city councilors and staff and were all participating.
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The top fundraiser, both this year and last, was Amanda Roorda, who has personally brought in about $5,000 and saw that matched by her employer, Skyline Living, which has about 1,100 rental properties around the city.
Along with Roorda’s fundraising, Skyline employees and many of those who live in their units raised about $11,000 and it was matched by Skyline for a total of $21,600.
“We did so well due to the generosity of the tenants,” said Roorda.
“It’s a hard market out there, but everyone deserves to have a safe place to live.”
Skyline was also recognized as the top fundraising team for both last year and this one.
Karen Stewart, the new executive director for Why Not, said the event is important both for the funds raised and the fact that it gets people walking in the community where they might see people panhandling in the cold. This year, walkers could also stop for a visit to the Why Not Youth Center at 368 Colborne St.
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“It’s a busy place and great to see it packed with 30 to 40 kids. We have a hot meal every night, pool, video games, board games and access to staff so kids can be seen and heard.”
Stewart also said an Ontario Trillium Grant announced at the walk would help the facility resurface a rough backyard so the kids could play basketball.
While the homeless situation has multiple facets, Stewart said one of the emerging gaps identified is housing resources for families.
“There aren’t a lot of family units available. A lot of our intakes aren’t moms and brand new babies but moms and two or three toddlers with no place to go.
“It’s heartbreaking because there just aren’t units available. What’s out there cost $2,000 to $3,000 and it might as well be a million dollars for these families.”
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Another huge need is for supportive housing for youth who are arriving with trauma and no life-skills so many Why Not programs include a strong support component with community connections, training and connecting to education.
“We’re going to need some out-of-the-box thinking right now because you can’t build homes fast enough to address the problem and our food service providers are maxed out.”
Stewart said donations that support the existing programs in the city are a great start.
Brantford’s Coldest Night of the Year tally was sitting at $54,673 on Sunday but donations will be accepted for the next 30 days at https://cnoy.org/location/brantford.
@EXPSGamble
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