It’s been five years since the Hope Awaits men’s shelter opened its doors in North Bay.
Officials say 165 men have been housed since May 1, 2018, and over 6,000 care packages have been distributed.
Nicole Clark, Executive Director, says since opening there’s been a lot of learning, building and growing with their programs.
“We’ve seen an increase in the need for homeless shelters, especially since COVID started,” she says. “There’s been a huge increase in the homeless population in North Bay and so that’s really been something that’s affecting us and the demand for our services and other services like ours.”
Clark says their goal is to increase the shelter’s hours and the programs they offer.
“Right now, we’re only open evenings and overnights,” Clark says. “It’s good to be able to help people that much but we really want to help them more and really give them the skills and things that they need so that when they move out of the shelter, they’re successful in the long term.”
Hope Awaits is holding its annual Homeless Night Challenge to raise funds for the men’s shelter on June 3.
The event is taking place at the Kiwanis Bandshell and features a shelter-building contest, live music, a silent auction, and more.
For more information visit homelessnight.ca
