Windsor welcome centre director swaps home for city motel with kids
Lady Laforet wants to learn some of the barriers families face when accessing the city's shelter system
For two days and three nights, the executive director of Windsor's Welcome Centre Shelter for Women — and her two young daughters — are swapping their home for a city motel room.
Lady Laforet embarked on the experience with six bags to learn about some of the "frontline barriers" that families experience when they need to access a motel for shelter.
"It's hopefully to give us some more internal information," said Laforet.
Her journey has been documented on the centre's Facebook group. The posts show her family taking public transit, relying on the food bank and also showing people what it is like to navigate the city's shelter system.
One of the pictures shows an office used by shelter staff, which "doubles as kids 'playroom'" while they meet with parents. There is only one housing staff member working each week, working with 17 to 30 families.
Laforet said they will be sitting down with some families to learn what the welcome centre can do more to help them.
"I think we really just want the community to know that the centre is here and we're working hard daily to support these families."
With files from Radio-Canada's Floriane Bonneville