The Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families is looking to expand its services for children who are experiencing homelessness.
It has launched a campaign to raise $10,000 to purchase and renovate a portable classroom to give kids in the shelter a place to play, get some supports and out of their small shelter rooms.
Centre Executive Director Lady Laforet says the current program is run out of a dining room, but with the expanded space, she hopes to create more place for kids to play and after-school programs to help youth with their homework.
"A lot of what we are looking to do is create this space for all of the community partners who have said they want to come and support women and families who are in shelter," she says.
In 2019, the centre helped 403 kids, from newborns to age 15.
"There is lots of talk in the community around homelessness but we fail to acknowledge that kids are experiencing the impacts of homelessness too, it's not just their caregivers," she says. "Kids needs play and kids in shelter shouldn't and won't be an exception to that."
She points out kids in shelters are known to have higher incidents of anxiety, depression, missing school and behavioural concerns.
"If we can address that, if we can add some resilience and some prevention work to hopefully make sure these kids don't become the adults 10-15 years down the road who are accessing shelters themselves," she adds.
The expanded space would be called "Patsy's Place" in memory of Patricia Noonan who supported the shelter.
The entire portable would cost $40,000, but LaForet says the centre has applied for a grant and $15,000 from the Estate of Patricia Noonan.
LaForet hopes to have the money raised and the portable in place by early summer — likely May.