The cost pressures being felt by most families and businesses are also impacting Chatham Hope Haven as it serves a growing number of homeless people in the community.
The same rising cost pressures facing families and businesses are also affecting a Chatham shelter that’s serving a growing number of homeless people.
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Chatham Hope Haven is asking the community for financial help, but general manager Loree Bailey said “it’s absolutely not that we’re closing the doors.”
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Still, the charitable organization faces a challenge to meet the needs of a growing number of struggling and vulnerable people.
“We all see evidence of increased homelessness across Chatham-Kent,” Bailey said, “But without an increase in funds to help people, there is not much that can be done.”
When area residents notice more people in the community who appear to be in need, “it’s not because we’re doing less. . . it means we’re doing more.”
Bailey said Hope Haven’s day program, which operates from 10 am to 2 pm daily, began in 2020 as a three-day-a-week pilot project to help amid concerns raised by downtown businesses.
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Last year, the shelter at 183 Wellington St. W., had more than 25,000 visits, helping nearly 700 people. Half a dozen times, Hope Haven also extends its hours to provide relief during extreme heat or cold.
“These are your neighbors,” Bailey said. “They come to find somewhere to rest, to eat, shower, wash their clothes, use the internet and telephone and talk with people who care about what happens to them.
“We know the service we provide is invaluable, but we also know the things that we need to keep our program going, are becoming more expensive,” she added.
Bailey said financial support from the municipality has been key to allowing the day program to run 365 days a year. Even with that help, however, community support is needed now more than ever, she said.
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Plenty of “super-helpful” food donations are coming in from community partners, she noted, but financial donations will help cover the costs of maintenance and utilities and necessities such as laundry soap and toilet paper.
“Everything that we have to provide comes with a cost,” she said.
Despite its growing financial pressures, Hope Haven is also a training and distribution site for life-saving naloxone to counter drug overdoses.
“There is a well-documented opioid crisis in our community affecting our neighbors,” Bailey said.
“We know that we greatly reduce the harm people may face, when they have remained, have nutritious food to eat and have people watching out for them,” she added.
“Our staff are also well trained on how to respond to an overdose and for many, this has meant they can live another day,” Bailey said. “There is no way to put a dollar figure on that — on any of this.”
Donations can be made to Hope Haven in person at its back door, where staff will meet donors, by email to [email protected] or by calling Bailey at 226 627-0783 or the shelter at 519 351-4010.
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