Chatham Hope Haven is getting some more funding to help people experiencing homelessness stay warm throughout the winter months.
The shelter is getting over $65,000 from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent so it can open its doors every night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
CK's council approved the request during their meeting on Monday.
Hope Haven has been operating overnight since the start of December, deciding to take the risk of getting its request denied rather than forcing people experiencing homelessness to wait.
Loree Bailey, Hope Haven's General Manager, told reporters the shelter has already helped over 100 different people during this time.
"I don't know what those 100 people would be doing in the absence of this program," she said.
One of those people is 63-year-old Raymond Turcotte. He spoke at council's meeting about the help he has received from the shelter.
"Without Hope Haven being there for me… I [would be] lost," he said.
In previous years, Hope Haven would open its doors during extreme weather, however, staff at the shelter were concerned that even slightly below temperatures could be harmful to people sleeping outside. This, along with the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness, prompted officials at the shelter to go above and beyond despite not having the finances to do so.
The roughly $65,000 is expected to help Hope Haven operate overnight until the end of February. Bailey doesn't know if it'll be enough, however, but says officials at the shelter plan to make it work the best they can.
"We know the municipality doesn't have deep pockets, we know they're funding this when it really isn't there responsibility," she added.
Bailey explained any help from the community would go a long way. People can donate in person during the day from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. or through e-transfer using the email chathamhopehaven@gmail.com. The shelter is asking people to avoid donating through the mail due to the ongoing Canada Post strike.
Meanwhile, it was also mentioned during CK's council meeting that there will be discussions around future funding if the shelter needs to stay open overnight during March.