By Staff
February 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We hear radio announcements about a Weather Alert. We read about people freezing to death in a bus shelter – we shake our heads and wonder – why do things like this happen. Do we not provide places for these people to go to be warm and get fed?
We do – but those “places” don’t just spring up like tulips in April. They happen because people spend hours working out a program and even longer hours making phone calls asking for donations.
This is what cold is all about.
There is an event that takes place happens in over 80 cities across Canada. This is the first time it is being held in Burlington. Open Doors @ St. Christopher’s is the location host this year. The event is called: The Coldest Night of the Year. It will take place on Saturday February 21st
Open Doors is trying to raise $25,000 to support its 13 programs: they still need your help. They are half way there thanks in part to their lead sponsor the Leggat Auto Group , but still need community and businesses to sponsor , walk or volunteer.
The Leggat Care Foundation is an established member of the community; they have put an emphasis on health care, poverty reduction and education opportunities as the paramount pillars of the Leggat Care Foundation.
Other businesses and partners are JD Restorations , Goodness Me Natural Food Market, Halton Public Library -Central Library and Halton District Catholic School Board. The Burlington Police , Neo1 Paint , and St. Luke’s Palermo Youth Group are some of our partner’s walk teams.
In 2014 Open Doors provided over 45,000 meals to our community. over 2000 people accessed free clothing through Open Doors and 142 families were helped at Christmas.
The sign says it all. This ad has a place to go to get out of the cold.
Open Door Programs and Networks
The programs in place now are:
Partnership West Food bank @ Open Doors ; Free Clothing Store; Kids Club After School Program; Tweens Club After School Program; Active Tots – (2015 start); Respite Programs for Families with Children with special needs; Calling All Parents Parenting Workshops; Christmas Program; Tuesday Night Dinner; Seniors Lunch; Halton Fresh Food Box Distribution; Pop Up Farm Markets with Feeding Halton; Community Kitchens (Youth and family) and the Halton Meal Network
Is Burlington now part of the Coldest Night of the Year walk because the need is now greater or is it because Burlington has become more conscious of the need?
Not every person who ends up homeless is mentally ill or dependent on drugs or alcohol. I just watched a short video where Susan Venditti, executive director of Start Me Up Niagara states that the most common reasons she hears for people being homeless is job loss or the breakup of a relationship. I can relate to the breakup aspect as I once became homeless because of a fight with the man I was living with. It was his house and he threw me out. Working part time for minimum wage I didn’t have the resources to get my own place.
Housing costs can be high and there is a serious lack of affordable housing. It is particularly hard for low income workers. Some families are literally a paycheck away from homelessness.
“why do things like this happen”
Why? I’ll tell you why, because so many of the homeless are mentally ill and or dependent on drugs or alcohol. There use to be vagrancy laws that allowed authorities to force the mentally ill in doors via a jail cell, or treatment in a mental facility, whichever they’d prefer. Not any more.