The outreach work done by the Living Space homeless shelter in Timmins is getting a major financial boost from the Dollar A Day Foundation and Scotiabank. Executive director Jason Sereda says the outreach team itself is the beneficiary of $25,000 a year for three years.
“They approached us with the idea of helping to support training of their staff to be more aware of issues around homelessness and how to respond to someone who might be in crisis in their building,” he says of Scotiabank.
Sereda says Living Space is also getting $50,000 to buy a new van for its outreach team.
“Those are the red shirts that you see walking around the downtown, connecting with people who might be sleeping outside, who might be sleeping in bank vestibules and also doing that sharps collection that we do throughout the community to keep it safe and clean.”
Sereda says the van will help the outreach team increase its reach and do its work in warmth and safety, especially in winter.