Red Lake shelter could be $40K in the red this year

The Red Lake emergency shelter could run a $40,000 deficit this year - and that could force the facility to cut back on its hours.

Red Lake town council had previously allocated $20,000 in funding for the shelter, but that amount was reduced to $5,000 this year.

Operations manager Janalee Jodouin said an increase in funding would ensure the facility could stay open year-round.

"For them to reinstate the $20,000 donation, would ensure that we could stay open for the summer," she said, adding that the shelter will likely go down to being open 12 hours a day this summer instead of 24.

Jodouin said this is the first year the shelter will stay open during the summer months. She said the announcement of keeping the building open during the summer was made before the municipal budget was finalized.

Before this year, Jodouin said the facility was closed between July and September.

"We should be staying open every day of the year. Every day of the year somebody should have a bed and a meal." 

Jodouin said the shelter ran a large deficit last year, even after a $40,000 donation from Goldcorp. 

"We don't have a budget for food. We have no money for food. We have 100 per cent donations. I'm trying municipally, federally, provincially, just to try to get us at a place where we're not feeling like tomorrow we have to shut the door."