Siloam Mission raises money to give homeless a daytime resting space

Homeless people in Winnipeg have very few places they can lay down during the day if they're feeling sick or tired, but Siloam Mission hopes to change that.

The shelter's new Give Me Rest campaign aims to raise money to create a day-bed program that would give people on the streets a chance torest their heads under the supervision of a nursing aide.

Mike Beauregard, director of development for Siloam Mission, said the shelter currently only opens in the evening, which is why the envisioned daytime space would fill a void in services for those in need.

"When you're homeless, you just don't have recovery space," Beauregard said. "Even here at the mission at our drop-in centre, you're in a room with 139 other people and you need to vacate during dinner hours because it becomes a dining hall."

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Beauregard said there aren't any options available to homeless people who are feeling ill during the day right now, which means they're often forced outdoors and onto their feet "all day long" while in vulnerable states.

"The alternative is to be outside in the elements, to be walking the streets," he said.

Small program, big impact

Beauregard said Siloam Mission is confident that adding even a modest, five-bed space could make a big impact.

"A lot of our clients here have physical disabilities, and when you look at the statistics the largest demographic of those experiencing homelessness in the city are over the age of 50," he said. "Just being homeless is tiring if you talk to folks who live on the street.... It's a difficult way to exist."

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Surviving outdoors in the city during Winnipeg's frigid winters is challenging enough, but Beauregard said people often overlook how difficult it can be to stay alive amid sweltering hot and humid summer conditions.

"If you've walked the Exchange District it's nothing but cement. There's no green space, so on warm days it's extremely hot down here and there's no escaping it," he said.

Among 1stof its kind

Beauregard said a day-bed program like the one Siloam Mission has in mind isn't being implemented anywhere else in North America to his knowledge.

Certified nursing assistants would help tend to the various medical issues experienced by people accessing the day-beds. Workers will be able to accommodate people with basic, non-emergency health issues, Beauregard said.

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While the shelter already has some money set aside to get the program off the ground, Beauregard is hoping to build more momentum ahead of the long weekend and encourage Winnipeggers to open their hearts and pocket books.

"You do this kind of work because you care, and everyone here working is here for the right reasons," Beauregard said.

"Our folks who work the front lines, they get to know our clients quite well. It's one of those things you hope happens sooner than later, because we've got folks who are taking extra-long to recover because we just don't have a proper recovery space for them."

Siloam is hoping to raise $30,000 for the program by midnight Thursday. Beauregard said the plan is to get the program up and running in the fall if they can raise enough money.

Donations can be made on Siloam Missions website.