Inn of the Good Shepherd
The Inn's mission is to provide service with dignity to those in need of food, shelter and other essentials. The Inn has a food bank, soup kitchen, 2 emergency shelters as well as other assistance programs such as rent/utility bank, income tax clinics, back-to-school kits, winter coat night, mobile market, summer snack packs, children's birthday club and much more.
The majority of Canadians now work in part-time jobs, minimum wage and no benefits. So many of the families and households we serve are working 2-3 part-time jobs, with uncertain hours striving to make ends meet. An everyday life crisis - someone gets sick and needs medicine, a week with shorter hours, glasses or dental work, a car breaking down and needing to be repaired to get to those part time jobs, school supplies or even winter wear. Any incident or need like these puts that household in the very difficult position of having to choose between health or work and food or rent or hydro!
Homelessness has become a crisis in our community with more people living on the streets than we've seen before. Addictions and the severe shortage of affordable housing has compounded this crisis. Between our 2 shelters and overflow shelter programs we are temporarily sheltering over 80 individuals and families and are housing 80 people through transitional and rent supplement programs.
With the severe lack of affordable housing (average rents have doubled in the last 6 years) The Board of The Inn is excited to be undertaking 2 affordable housing projects - in a partnership with Habitat for Humanity a build of 5 tiny townhouses and a affordable housing build with 45-50 units.
The Inn's programs help provide that helping hand to get folks out of these difficult times.
