Street Help prepares for influx of people seeking winter gear
‘We’ve had a lot of people at the door asking for hats, gloves, scarves,’ administrator says
Street Help Homeless Centre is making an urgent appeal for winter clothing, after people experiencing homelessness were caught off guard by the sudden cold weather a few days ago.
Administrator Christine Wilson-Furlonger, said even though they have been providing services for those experiencing homelessness for 22 years, they do not have a huge storage facility to be ready when winter hits.
"A little agency like ours can't be that ready," Wilson-Furlonger told CBC News. "We can provide what we can but still when you're caught off shock like that it's hard, so we've put out a desperate plea for these things right away."
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Wilson-Furlonger said over the last few days, "We've had a lot of people at the door asking for hats, gloves, scarves.
"Everything we had we've been giving out to people so far but it's going to continue all through the winter," she said.
"And if you're homeless, you can wake up in the morning and find somebody has taken your boots, they've taken your coat ... It's horrible because you're worried. Do I have a pair of gloves, warm gloves?"
Anyone who wants to donate can do so via the Street Help website.
With files from Jacob Barker