Kenora shelter lease signed for 20 years

A homeless shelter in Kenora, Ont., has a permanent location — nearly two years after the hunt started to house the facility.

• Kenora homeless shelter gets go-ahead from city
• Knox United Church in Kenora, Ont., hopes to house new homeless shelter

Knox United Church, the Kenora District Services Board, and the NeeChee Friendship Centre signed a 20-year lease for the former gymnasium building attached to the church, which is to be converted into a homeless shelter and support facility.

The 6,200 square foot area will become a place for those who need assistance to sleep, eat, shower and find support services.

"Any time a community says that it's important for people to have a stable place to live, it really speaks to that community's awareness to how important housing is," said Meg Illman-White, the Minister at Knox United Church.

"[It's] sort of a number one stabilizing influence in people's lives."

Finding a permanent location for the shelter has been a challenge in Kenora. Its current location is in the basement of the Northwestern Health Unit. Knox United also housed the shelter for a two month period, about two years ago.

"[The congregation has been] a hundred percent behind this and more. They've been behind this all along, and it's exciting to see this taking shape after nine months of conversations," Illman-White said.