Donations down for agency that helps homeless families

A drop in donations will likely mean cuts to programs that help homeless families in Calgary, says Inn from the Cold's executive director.

Diana Segboer said demand for the agency's services is on the rise because of the economic downturn, but donations are also down 50 per cent compared to last year.

"The numbers are increasing, the need is definitely growing and our finances are definitely down," she said.

The agency provides homeless families with meals and a warm place to sleep. In the morning, their children are transported to school.

"We don't have as many bus tickets," said Segboer. "We don't have probably as many hygiene products. We don't have as many mitts. We don't have a lot of things that we would normally give out as freely as we normally do. Where it really hits hardest is things for our families, like food vouchers, those kind of things."

So far this year, the organization has helped 200 families, up from 187 last year.

Segboer said seven new families — many new immigrants — arrived last week and several more have told her they will be homeless by the end of the month.

"They know that they are going to have to come back and stay with us until they get back on their feet in the new year," she said. "They just can't sustain some of the market rents that are out there. They are just too high still in Calgary."

This winter, Inn from the Cold is also helping single people.

On Monday morning, 40 men who slept on mats in a small, windowless room over the weekend headed back to the streets at 7 a.m. to make room for families. Segboer said her facility isn't designed to handle that many people.

"They would love to have showers and stuff like that and we just don't have a lot of the amenities many of them would like."

Stephanie, who didn't give her last name, has been staying with her three-year-old daughter Olivia since arriving from British Columbia two months ago. They have found a home for January. While Stephanie looks for work, Olivia attends daycare.

Stephanie said she appreciates what Inn from the Cold has done for her.

"They showed us where we could go and how we could get there. I didn't how to get around. And they made it feel like home here for me and my daughter."

Inn from the Cold also runs a rental assistance program, has an outreach team and partners with other groups to provide transitional housing, among other programs.