The Owen Sound Safe ‘N Sound homeless initiative almost became homeless itself because of a funding crisis.
However it has been thrown a financial lifeline of 13 thousand dollars by the United Way Bruce Grey.
Safe’N Sound was looking at an end to funding and was in danger of closing its doors this fall after being open for less than seven months.
United Way Executive Director Francesca Dobbyn says this emergency funding is to help the agency survive while it awaits word on whether it will be getting any money from the Trillium Foundation.
That grant announcement won’t be made until the end of November.
Dobbyn says they tell their agencies the same thing we tell our clients, call us when you first realize you’re in trouble, not when you’re in crisis.
Dobbyn says now with secure funding, Safe and Sound has been able to hire a new Community Support Coordinator to help its clients.
She says Safe and Sound is seeing its client number increase with an average of 8 to 12 consumers a day using its services.
Those services include getting a shower, using the phone, preparing a meal or getting referred to other agencies like the Y housing and Ontario works.
Dobbyn says the crisis facing Safe and Sound is not an isolated incident as many charities and not for profits are seeing huge increases in demand for their services.
She doesn’t know of any agencies facing immediate financial problems, but Dobbyn admits there is a lot of stress these days in the sector.