'A place to sleep, shower', do laundry: Kenora shelter prepares for move to winter home

The relocation of the emergency shelter in Kenora, Ont., run by the Ne-Chee Friendship Centre, has been delayed by about three weeks, to October 19.

The shelter was planning to move out of its temporary home in Knox United Church, into more permanent dwellings in the Northwestern Health Unit on October 1, says Patti Fairfield, the centre's executive director.

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However, the moving date has been changed to allow enough time to finish the renovations on the building's basement.

"Not only will they have a place to sleep for the next two years, but we'll be able to provide shower facilities and we'll be able to do our laundry," said Fairfield.

Showers and laundry "are just basic needs" for the approximately 20 people the shelter houses every night, she said.

'Going to make all the difference' 

"This is going to make all the difference as far as I'm concerned to be able to let them come in, shower, they'll be given scrubs to wear for the night, while we wash their clothes, and then when they get up in the morning they'll be given their clean clothes to wear."

In-house laundry facilities, including two washers and two dryers, will also mean a sizable savings in the shelter budget, Fairfield explained, saying it cost the centre roughly $4,000 to wash blankets and other linens during its summer stay at the church.

With snow in the forecast Wednesday, Fairfield said she let out "a huge sigh of relief" when she learned the shelter, and its clients would have a warm place for the winter.

 Health unit 'a good fit'

"We were really worried about where we were going to be," said Fairfield, adding that she believes the health unit, which is just outside the downtown area at 210 First St North, "is a good fit."

"Maybe sometimes we think that everybody knows where everything is, but being in the basement of the health unit, we can let them know what resources the health unit has that they can access during the day."

The centre and the Kenora District Social Services Board are continuing to work together, however, to find a permanent location for the shelter, because the arrangement with the health unit expires in two years.