Friendship Centre Looking To Establish New Shelter

Friendship Centre Looking To Establish New Shelter

Wednesday, January 05, 2011 at 13:27

 

 

The Battlefords Indian Metis Friendship Centre wants to set up a shelter for homeless people in the Battlefords.

 

Executive director Jackie Kennedy says her group has identified about 20 people who have no place to live.

 

As a result, the Friendship Centre is applying for funding to create a permanent homeless shelter.

 

In the meantime, the BIMFC has set up a temporary shelter.

 

Kennedy says before the shelter opened on December 23rd, homeless people in the Battlefords were sleeping in any warm place they could find — including furnace rooms of local stores.

 

The temporary shelter has been accommodating between one and three people a night, but Kennedy is sure there are more who could benefit from it who don’t know about the shelter yet.

 

The money for that initiative runs out March 31st, because the Friendship Centre didn’t receive any financing help for the shelter and has been funding it out of the BIMFC’s existing budget.

 

However, Kennedy points out it should be warmer by then.