Kenora District Services Board, Dryden Office/ Staff Photo
Overnight emergency shelter services will soon be offered in the City of Dryden.
The Dryden Full Gospel Church, in partnership with the Kenora District Services Board, will operate the shelter as part of a pilot project to ensure that vulnerable individuals have a safe place to stay for the rest of the winter.
“This winter, we are launching an emergency shelter pilot project in Dryden,” explains Nikolas Amodeo, Lead Pastor of Dryden Full Gospel Church. “For three nights each week, the shelter will provide a safe haven for those experiencing homelessness. This will be a challenging, but deeply worthwhile endeavour. Extending compassion and hope to people in need has long been part of the church’s ministry, and we are excited to see this outreach to our homeless become a reality. By partnering together with KDSB, we can support one another in a shared vision of caring for our homeless population.”
The KDSB will provide operational funding with the shelter open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for overnight stays.
“In 2018, through the KDSB’s Homelessness enumeration, the data demonstrated that many individuals in Dryden experience homelessness or are at-risk of homelessness,” says Henry Wall, Chief Administrative Officer of the KDSB. “The operation of this shelter is very timely as we move into adverse winter weather where individuals in our community place to be. This pilot operated by the Dryden Full Gospel is a tremendous first step for emergency shelter services in Dryden. It will allow us to learn and plan for the need in the community. This initiative is a crucial starting point.”
The shelter is expected to open mid-January and will be staffed by permanent employees and volunteers.
All COVID-19 precautions and protocols will be followed with more information to come in the new year about the official opening.
On December 15th, local leaders and community organizations launched the campaign ‘There’s No Place Like a Home’, to raise awareness about homelessness in the Dryden and Machin area.
