No More Tears West Nipissing Society achieved not-for-profit status just before Christmas last year and are looking to have more presence within the community. The group, composed of volunteers in and around Sturgeon Falls, exists to serve homeless people in the area.
Recently, No More Tears asked West Nipissing council to help support the group by paying rent for office space at 169 Front Street, Unit B in Sturgeon Falls.
The rent, with HST, is $904 per month, the group informed council.
Josee Rainville, the Chairperson of No More Tears West Nipissing Society (NMTWNS), noted in her request to council that there are 36 homeless individuals in West Nipissing. “These individuals stay in sheds, trailers, motel rooms, tents, and many are couch surfing,” she explained. “All these 36 individuals have not secured permanent housing.”
The organization currently operates a soup kitchen and provides outreach to unhoused folks, often bringing much needed supplies and guidance toward additional services.
See: Sturgeon Falls group formed to help homeless
“We would like to request financial support from the Municipality as we start our organization to help our most vulnerable,” Rainville noted, adding, “we will continue seeking funding from other sources and donations to help support us as well.”
“No More Tears is doing incredible work,” Councillor Fernand Pellerin said. “The least we could do is pay for a space” for them to operate from and reconsider the arrangement on a year-to-year basis.
However, council expressed concerns that if it funds one not-for-profit, they may be expected to fund more, and the money is already spread thin. Also, the Municipality pays around $3.5 million to the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) to provide similar services.
Mayor Kathleen Rochon expressed concern that some of these services “duplicate services offered by DNSSAB, and their service provider, True Self, the outreach provider for West Nipissing. I have concerns about that duplication of services.”
See: West Nipissing council denies motion to halt homeless evictions
The Mayor reminded council that DNSSAB also has office space in Sturgeon Falls, at 94 King Street, Unit 15. She suggested NMTWNS find ways to work with DNSSAB, otherwise “it’s like having two agencies competing against each other.”
Council suggested a more detailed report outlining what services NMTWNS will provide from its office would help inform its decision. The discussion will return to council at a future meeting.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
