Gathering Place funding request denied by DNSSAB Board

More troubling news for the future of the Gathering Place.

Following an in-camera session, the Board of Directors of the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board announced it would not grant a request for funding for the Gathering Place, North Bay's financially struggling soup kitchen.

See related: Gathering Place in crisis mode. Demand 'insanely high'

In August, Dennis Chippa, then the Gathering Place's executive director, with the support of his Board of Directors, cut several staff members and decreased the frequency of the Cassells Street soup kitchen to one meal per day, lunch-only, five days per week.

See also: Gathering Place executive looks for better days ahead after cutbacks

In September, a delegation from the Gathering Place made an initial request for $140,000 to help prop up the organization. According to the minutes from Wednesday's meeting, the DNSSAB Board had asked for more information from the Gathering Place, including financial documents to support its request but "did not receive the agreed upon information; and the DNSSAB did not grant the request."

In April, Chippa warned the Gathering Place was on alert and already cutting back to survive. 

Then in August, Chippa told BayToday the not-for-profit organization was having some issues with Revenue Canada and had refinanced the building on Cassells Street to help make ends meet. 

"It's just a significant financial crisis that we just weren't getting through many of the problems that we have," he said. "We were in a much more difficult position four months ago, six months ago, but much of it has been cleared up. Much of the financial problem has been cleared up. But this last bit to get over the hump. We just had to make some significant changes.

"It's the day-to-day operational costs. The numbers this summer were literally astounding. I mean, we had 78 coming in for breakfast this morning. You know, 130 for dinners and things like that, 120 for lunch. Those numbers are for this time of the month, for this time of the year, even by the summertime standards, it's just insanely high."

King, in his role as a city councillor, mentioned this summer in council chambers what were then the looming issues at the Gathering Place. "I'm very interested in hearing how that turns out, what impact that will have on the streets of North Bay. I can tell you publicly that I have been working diligently with both the chair and the executive director of the Gathering Place, trying to find answers to the problems that they face."

See: DNSSAB to meet leaders of struggling Gathering Place

In an interview in late August, King again said he hoped to find some ways to help support the Gathering Place and shared that Chippa and Scott Tod, the former board chair, would be attending the DNSSAB meeting in September. 

"The reality in my mind," said King then, "is that there is no way we could possibly afford $50,000 a month operational cost.

"They had an obligation, I think, on their part, to streamline their operation, to try and figure out how to be more cost-efficient. And I know it's hard for them to do that because they're just reacting to the demand. So we'll have to see how it works out at our board level, whether or not there are options that come forward."

 — With files from Chris Dawson