October 8, 2002

Homeless women in Kingston will be able to hold on to their belongings

KINGSTON, ONTARIO — Dawn House Women’s Shelter will soon be able to ensure that homeless women will have access to a storage facility to maintain ownership of their personal belongings.  The Honourable Peter Milliken, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, welcomed the announcement of $6,625 in funding under the Youth component of the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative, of the National Homelessness Initiative, by the Honourable Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of Labour and Federal Coordinator on Homelessness.  The funding will help Dawn House Women’s Shelter offer this much-needed service to homeless women and will increase the organization’s ability to provide women continued support to make the transition from homelessness through to self-sufficiency. 

“The loss of the few belongings that a homeless person can manage to hold on to can be quite devastating emotionally and debilitating to their survival efforts,” said Mr. Milliken.  “I commend Dawn House Women’s Shelter for their compassion to the women they serve and their commitment to ensuring that the necessary support services are available.”   

Dawn House Women’s Shelter provides 10 beds for homeless women and their children, including supportive counselling, basic necessities, referrals, housing search assistance, advocacy and public education.  Their services are open to women aged 16 and older and their children. 

The Government of Canada’s contribution will enable Dawn House Women’s Shelter to purchase renovation materials to construct a secure, weather and animal-proof storage shed equipped with individual interior lockers and storage spaces, which will be used to store clients’ personal items. 

“Dawn House Women's Shelter is very pleased to be receiving this money from the federal government,” said Pam Havery, Executive Director of Dawn House Women's Shelter.  “This grant will allow the shelter to build and provide much needed storage lockers for homeless women staying at our shelter.”  

The National Homelessness Initiative is making a difference in addressing homelessness by encouraging the development of local solutions to this issue.  Funding for the Initiative was provided for in the December 2001 federal Budget and is built into the existing fiscal framework.

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For more information on the Government of Canada’s National Homelessness Initiative, visit our Web site at www.hrdc.gc.ca/homelessness  

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