Hope Awaits homeless shelter opened in North Bay 10 months ago, and officials say it's making a big difference in people's lives.
The group has purchased a house on First Avenue, Staff do not live in the building, which is set up for four residents at a time.
See: Hope finally has its house
Executive Director Nicole Millage told CKAT that they have four men stay with them at any given time, with 24 staying since they opened their doors last May.
"Whether it's just a quick (stay), they're looking for an apartment, or we've had some go back to school, so they live with us while they're in school. It really depends on each client's needs as to how long their stay will be," she says.
Their goal is to help men find long-term employment, housing, education and more.
Millage says they saw a gap in services for men, so that's their focus.
She also says a 2013 study done by Laurentian University found 156 absolutely homeless people locally with hundreds more at risk.
Half are men.
"People are becoming more aware that we do have homeless here, but when we share the statistics people are surprised that we have that many in our community, because often times we don't see it," she says.
Coming up in May they're holding a fundraiser, an overnight homeless challenge.
Details can be found on their website
The fundraising goal is $50,000.
