Chippa: Familiar faces will help emergency warming centre run smoothly

As the calendar flips to February, those in the community without shelter will soon have a place to stay warm during the day.

The Gathering Place is branching out to handle operations of a warming centre in the former health unit building on Commercial Street in North Bay. And, according to Dennis Chippa, the Gathering Place's executive director, the crossover of clients, staff, and volunteers will go a long way to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all involved.

"The benefit is they know our folks and our folks know them," he says of the recurring guests who stop in for meals. "That's a key thing for us. When they come into the warming centre, they're going to see friendly faces, they're going to see supportive faces. It won't be like they've met anyone new and that's a real plus."

The Gathering Place will still operate as usual from its nearby location on Cassells Street. Chippa says meals will be delivered — as they have been to other warming centres — for those who have sought refuge from the elements at the makeshift Commercial Street location. The two locations will also allow for more physical distancing as the spread of COVID-19 has led to several outbreaks in congregate settings.

"If everything goes according to plan, we'll be up and running next Monday, Feb. 7," he says. 

Chippa shares his team was inside the office building — once a former school — to map out the usable spaces, Monday. An isolation area has been assigned in observance of public health measures and a courtyard is available to get some air. 

"It's just to get us through the next month or month-and-a-half. It's just during the day. We're responding to an emerging trend of a lot of people having no place to go," he observes.

As it stands, clients of the low-barrier shelter on Chippewa Street West must depart the following day by 8 a.m., although when Crisis Centre staffing levels permit, the shelter will stay open until noon on extremely cold days. Also exacerbating the situation is common warming locations like coffee shops and the public library have been closed due to capacity restrictions.

As previously reported, the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board and its potential warming centre partner agencies are experiencing staffing challenges. The Gathering Place had already offered to provide meals and cover mornings but as the project went through various delays, felt compelled to take the lead. DNSSAB Chair Mark King confirms funding will be made available to the organizations that run the warming centre.

See related: No warming centre due to 'staffing challenges' — DNSSAB

During a recent meeting, DNSSAB board members heard many social services organizations are stretched thin as staff members find themselves in isolation for either having experienced symptoms of the COVID-19 virus or because they are close contacts of a possible or confirmed case. 

"The more afternoons we can get covered, the better," he says. There have been inquiries from some of the local agencies and Chippa hopes the afternoon shift will be covered by those showing interest to free up Gathering Place resources to cook and prepare for the supper hour.

"We're getting into the teeth of the winter," Chippa says, "and February is still going to be a dangerous month and even March can be dangerous, too. We thought we'd better do it."