Portage la Prairie homeless shelter to remain open through winter months
Riley Laychuk | CBC News | Posted: December 4, 2019 11:00 AM | Last Updated: December 4, 2019
Shelter opened as a pilot project in June for 3 nights per week, has now expanded to 6 nights per week
A homeless shelter that opened in Portage la Prairie last summer as a pilot project will be staying open though the winter.
The Rest-a-Bit first opened its doors in late June, operating three days a week in the sanctuary of a church in the city, about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg.
It expanded to five days a week in early July, but the six-bed facility closed in September, at the end of the pilot.
Miriam Turyamwijuka, who serves as chair of the non-profit's board, says the group was able to reopen the shelter in October, after Portage city council voted to extend the church's conditional use permit to allow for it.
"We had lots of people still looking for a place to stay, but we couldn't have them stay there [at the time]," she said, describing the closure as painful.
"We had to work out how to reopen and everything," Turyamwijuka added.
Plans to open the shelter began last winter, and Turyamwijuka said a $10,000 grant from a local fundraiser solidified plans for the pilot project.
Beds, bedding and other necessities were also donated, as is the space in the church.
She said the shelter saw an average of three to six people each night over the summer months, and the pilot was "a nice introduction to the shelter for us."
Turyamwijuka said the group found the people using the shelter weren't limited to one segment of the population.
"We found that we had all ages and all different backgrounds," she said. "That was more interesting for us, and it was a little more surprising at the same time."
Turyamwijuka said she wasn't sure what to expect when the shelter opened, but its use so far points to a growing need. She said the shelter will be open six nights a week, Sunday to Friday, for the foreseeable future.
"We are seeing more people come in [on] cold nights," she said, adding she expects the demand to grow as the temperature drops further.
Clients, she said, are also given food and hygiene supplies. The shelter also offers help to connect its users with mental health or addictions supports, or assistance finding affordable, permanent housing.
"The community is very supporting," Turyamwijuka said, pointing to the donations and fundraisers that have supported the shelter's operation. "We're feeling quite supported and welcomed."
She said the next step is finding an ongoing location for the shelter itself.
"We would like to have our own, permanent location.… Once we can have that in place, there are so many more things that we are hoping to do," Turyamwijuka said.
"The main thing is to just have a shelter."