June 29, 2020
Communities Unite to Address Chronic Homelessness in Huron County
Exeter, ON – The generosity of caring people has allowed the communities of Huron County to take the first steps toward addressing the pressing issue of chronic homelessness.
“We’re happy to announce Huron Turning Point (HTP) now has three additional beds to help men experiencing homelessness in Huron,” says United Way Perth-Huron (UWPH) Executive Director Ryan Erb. “Dedicated community members in Goderich, Exeter and surrounding communities raised awareness and inspired donations to work towards solving the issue of chronic homelessness.”
HTP is a six-bed transitional program for men located in Exeter. Over the past three years HTP’s original three beds helped support 21 men, but 40 men applied for the program. The three additional beds, which have already been filled, enable HTP to have an even greater positive impact on men in Huron looking to escape chronic homelessness.
“We are so proud of the hard work people in Huron have put in, lending their voices to an incredibly important issue,” said Shawn Walker, Executive Director of HTP. “We’re glad to have the additional three beds open to support men in our community as they work to build better lives.”
The additional beds at HTP is part of a larger action plan created by communities in Huron with support from UWPH. Other actions included working to provide housing location services and ongoing support for successful tenancy, continued prevention and support services for women and youth and continued emergency shelter during cold months.
Two major events, Paint the Town Red Event (PTTR) and the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) walk, were key to supporting efforts to address the local issue of chronic homelessness.
PTTR gave businesses the opportunity to engage with customers and give back to the community through UWPH. Individual businesses chose a unique promotion with a portion of proceeds going towards local homelessness initiatives. Event sponsor Scotiabank matched total donations from across all communities up to $15,000.
CNOY, meanwhile, was a tremendous success in its first year in Exeter and Goderich. The event aims to raise awareness and funds for homelessness initiatives in participating communities and raised a combined $100,000.
“When we started on this journey, adding three more beds at HTP was one of our main goals,” added Erb. “We deeply appreciate the compassion and commitment that helped this goal become a reality.”