A slow but smooth first night at River City Vineyard’s newly expanded homeless shelter was one reason church pastor George Esser was feeling “huge relief,” Dec. 23.
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The other was two major donations, capping fundraising efforts for the four-year$1-million expansion at the Mitton Street shelter, and halfway funding a looming $200,000 roof replacement.
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“It was a great first night opening,” Esser said.
Three people, including one woman, used the expanded spaces at the River City Vineyard Sanctuary on opening night Dec. 22, he said.
Nearly 20 years ago, when the shelter quietly began, it also took time for the original beds to fill, he noted. Now they’re full regularly, and there are people on a waiting list, Esser has said.
“It just takes time to get the word out,” he said.
Two $100,000 donations were announced Dec. 23, from longtime River City supporter Rick Lalonde and Progressive Auto.
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They help cover the last remaining expenses, such as window adjustments and architectural modifications, that boosted project costs and resulted in several delays, and made headway on funding needed roof repairs, Esser said.
“We’re very grateful to the community for all the generous support,” he said, adding that includes food and other donations.
“It’s just awesome.”
Leaks started in the flat, tar roof about a year ago, while renovations inside were underway, he said.
“You want to finish one thing before you start a second project, so it was like, ‘Let’s get some buckets and get the shelter done,’” Esser said. “Then it kept taking longer and longer.”
Hopes are to contract for roof repairs when warmer weather returns, he said.
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The expansion added about 40 beds for men and women, boosting the total to about 70.
Plans are to convert the original 28 to steel-frame pods, with tarps for privacy and lockboxes for storage, like the expansion beds, Esser has said.
One final hurdle before opening was figuring out a temporary solution for fire safety, after it was discovered a fire alarm monitor was needed to automatically alert security officials, who contact emergency officials in the case of fire, he said.
River City and Sarnia’s fire and building departments instead worked it out so shelter personnel manually checked the hallways hourly, on top of the shelter’s existing alarms and sprinklers, Esser said.
“Really, the fire watch is, if the alarm goes off, they call 911,” he said.
A contractor was booked Jan. 3 to install the monitor, he said.
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