Nov 1 marked the start of the extreme weather shelter season and we are all set to open once the temperature drops. Most of our volunteers are returning from last year and we'll also be welcoming some new volunteers to the team -- we held an orientation session for new volunteers last week. Grace, our food coordinator, is back again, and all of our overnight staff and steering committee members are veterans from previous seasons.
In terms of returning guests, my expectation is that most guests will be new to the shelter this year, as was the case last season, when 27 of the 36 guests we sheltered during the season were new. At least nine of last year's guests are now in housing and likely more that I've lost touch with. "Kip" has returned to work as a cook at a high-end restaurant at the airport. "Dorothy" who had been living in a camper is now in a proper apartment. "Will" is still in the basement suite he rented with "Maurice" last February, with a new roommate. "Bud", "Buddy" and "Neil" are all sharing a house together with "Wally" from the previous season and two other formerly homeless individuals. "Carlos" who used to be a teacher, and always wore a tie, sent us a nice letter thanking us for our hospitality along with a donation of $50 to the shelter.
And sadly, two of last season's guests passed away earlier this year: "Maurice" at the age of 67 in February and "Milton" at the age of 56 in April. Both were regulars at the shelter, both were an integral part of the community that formed each night we were open and both will be dearly missed. We held a service for Maurice in March at St Alban Church and Milton's family held one for him, in June, in his hometown of London Ontario. May they rest in peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment