The First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo has set a target of raising $150,000 for renovations to its 25-bed overnight shelter to meet building code regulations and to help with program costs.
The shelter, housed in the basement of the Unitarian Fellowship building at 595 Townsite Rd., first opened as a severe-weather shelter in December 2008, and marks its 15th anniversary next month with an open house.
The Unitarian Fellowship was the first church in Nanaimo to operate an emergency weather shelter when it opened, the organization said in a statement. “Since then, the shelter has been a temporary home for hundreds of people living in poverty who have found themselves without housing.”
Those who have used the shelter in the past 15 years include seniors who have lost their rental units and have been living in their cars, people with disabilities, students, low-wage workers, those dealing with mental illness and other with addictions, it says. Street workers estimate there are up to 800 people in the Nanaimo area who do not have a home.
“What all these people had in common was a struggle to find suitable affordable housing in Nanaimo, becoming homeless and finding respite from the streets at the Nanaimo Unitarian Shelter,” said shelter executive director Paul Manly, who is also a Nanaimo city councillor.
Manly said the 1946 building requires a wide range of upgrades. For example, the area used for laundry in the unfinished part of the basement needs drywall, rewiring and plumbing improvements, he said. “There’s water shutoff valves here, there and everywhere.”
When the kitchen was built, a breaker panel was installed with a counter under it and a stove next to it, so it doesn’t meet building-code requirements, he said.
Floors are in poor shape and an industrial type of vinyl will be installed, Manly said.
Besides its 25 regular beds, the 2,500-square-foot-space has two beds for emergencies — police and the hospital, for example, might request a bed for someone in need — and is open daily from 5 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., serving men and women 19 and older.
If someone spends the night and returns before 8 p.m. the following day, their bed is reserved for them. Manly said the shelter has a couple of regulars who have stayed there for a few years, and are in the hard-to-house category.
Every night the shelter, which has 16 regular staff, provides dinner for its overnight guests and sends them off after breakfast in the morning.
“It’s a busy place,” Manly said, adding there are usually five to 10 people on a wait list each day.
The facility offers more than beds and meals, however. A case manager helps people with everything from finding housing, to replacing lost identification, and filling out applications for support.
In the past year, shelter staff have found housing for 24 people, while nine people went into treatment.
It also runs a clean team, consisting of a staff member and a couple of shelter guests who tidy up the neighbourhood, including local parks.
Anyone wanting a free shower can go to the Caledonia Park facility from 7 a.m. to noon, where two church staffers will be on hand.
B.C. Housing is the major funder of the shelter but does not cover all the costs, such as the additional programs. Funds are raised from other organizations and individuals.
The congregation has about 60 members, with 35 of them particularly active, Manly said.
The open house at the Unitarian Hall is set for Dec. 2 between 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
For information on how to donate to the fundraising campaign, go to ufon.ca/weather-shelter.
