The Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) is almost here.
“We’re excited,” says Heather MacKechnie, Co-chair of Street to Feet and administrator of Exeter United Church. “It’s a great event raising money and awareness around the issue homelessness. We hope everyone can join us.”
CNOY is on Saturday, February 22. The Exeter event currently has 121 walkers registered with a goal of raising $30,000. Registration begins at 4 p.m. at the Exeter Christian Reformed Church on Huron Street. Opening ceremonies are at 5 p.m. and the walk starts at 5:15 p.m. A light, warm meal will be available starting at 6 p.m. To register, visit cnoy.org/exeter.
CNOY is part of a larger effort in Exeter and South Huron. Together with Street to Feet, United Way Perth-Huron is working to add three beds at the Turning Point Home in Exeter, housing location services and ongoing support for successful tenancy, prevention and support services for youth and women and temporary emergency shelter.
The Turning Point Home’s three beds have helped 21 men over the past three years, but in the same three years 40 men applied. During the 2018 Huron Homelessness Enumeration, 100 individuals identified themselves as experiencing homelessness. Statistics show that 80 per cent of homelessness is hidden, meaning there are many more people in the community facing this #UNIGNORABLE issue.