By Tyler Orton
The Tri-City News
A Tri-City homeless outreach organization plans to transfer all its shelter services to Northside Church's Grace building in Port Coquitlam this October, ending the practice of rotating the cold/wet weather mat program between local churches.
Rob Thiessen, managing director of Hope for Freedom society, said the proposed location at 2606 Kingsway Ave. is more suitable than the churches that currently alternate shelter services on a monthly basis.
"It's right in ground zero, right where the homeless already are. It removed the transportation requirement," he said, adding the society uses two 15-passenger vans to collect and bring homeless people to whichever church is facilitating shelter services. "That [transportation] cost is just becoming too prohibitive and we've never been able to get the cost of that as part of our contract."
Sandy Burpee, chair of the Tri-Cities Homelessness Task Group, said the current program's funding is scheduled to end in March. He said the proposed funding extension is meant to bridge the gap before a permanent shelter opens in 2014 in Coquitlam.
Hope for Freedom needs about $400,000 to run the mat program for two more years. The society has raised $140,000 through in-kind contributions but it still requires about $270,000 in government funding. It will cost $3,000 a month to rent the Grace building and a volunteer co-ordinator will be hired to manage the 600 people who help with shelter services.
If funding is approved, the new services will run for six months, from October to March, compared to the five months the current program operates.
Thiessen said Hope for Freedom has more opportunities to find permanent housing for homeless people the longer the program runs during the year. The society will need a temporary use permit from the city of Port Coquitlam for the new location, which Thiessen said he hopes will be approved by May.
Hope for Freedom will host an open house Feb. 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Northside Church's Grace campus to address any concerns the neighbourhood may have about the fixed location.
"Ninety-five per cent of the community is on board with these initiatives," Thiessen said. "However, you have a very vocal minority - 5% or so - that are opposed to these things and they come out of the woodwork whenever there's an opportunity."
Burpee said supporters are encouraged to attend the public consultation meeting to make sure their voices are also heard.
Grace Church is home to a number of tenants, including the Hope for Freedom society, a food bank and Narcotics Anonymous as well as English-, Indonesian- and Polish-speaking congregations.
