Gather your friends and family for an afternoon of tea to support Inn From the Cold's fundraising efforts to build a new homeless shelter in Newmarket.
Inn from the Cold will host an afternoon of high tea from 1 to 3 p.m. at Old Town Hall, 406 Botsford St., for its All Inn! campaign to end homelessness. Tickets cost $100.
“Since the pandemic, the number of people experiencing homelessness has exploded in York Region and globally,” said Ann Watson, executive director. “We see the impact in York Region. That is our home. I think people will recognize homelessness in Newmarket has become more visible in the last couple of years.”
While the non-profit organization has made significant progress, raising $2.5 million toward a capital campaign for the shelter, it continues to seek funds for its $3-million stretch goal. Watson said it has raised $2.6 million so far.
“We’ve been able to raise almost all of the money we need to see this project through to completion, however, there is a small funding gap,” said Watson. “It is getting smaller and smaller.”
According to Inn From the Cold: 400 people are homeless; 52 per cent of renter households are spending 30 per cent or more on housing, the highest in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area; the community’s rental vacancy rate is one per cent; and individuals wait 11 years for affordable housing, with the waitlist topping 17,000 in York Region.
A high tea will feature guests dressed in fine, formal clothing with a menu of exquisite meals and specialty teas catered by A Million Mouthfuls Catering. The event will be their third high tea.
The first two events were a resounding success at the Aurora Armoury, 89 Mosley St. Watson said staff would bring back a popular fascinator contest for the best formal headpiece, which was a hit at the previous events.
The centrepiece at each table will be provided by program clients who attended a flower-arranging workshop.
Inn From the Cold began as a seasonal shelter for cold weather nights, and now it is open full-time all year round. Staff considered ways to break the cycle of homelessness rather than temporarily housing people only to have them return. They developed a pilot program to mitigate the obstacles chronic homeless people face, such as employment, and addictions and mental health support.
The new shelter will be in a 16,000-square-foot facility that includes transitional housing units with 18 beds, emergency shelter space for 26 people, casework and interview rooms, classrooms for education and training, a dining hall, a multi-purpose space, a quiet room with computers and library resources, an outdoor garden, and recreation space.
“We decided as part of this new build, we’re going to keep the shelter the same size, and we’re going to expand our housing programs so that people have a place to go from the shelter in order to eventually become permanently housed,” said Watson.
It developed an employment social enterprise called Inn Team for clients to work in the community, Watson said, adding the Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program don't provide enough income support.
The organization purchased some land on Yonge Street for the shelter, with the Town of Newmarket donating half.
Watson said the project will break ground in November and be substantially completed in the fall of 2025. The goal is to open the shelter in two years.
Aside from the venture for a new building, the organization has also developed a lease program called Please Come Inn. This program leases a unit or a block of units from a landlord or property manager and then sublets it to a client or subtenant in Bradford, Newmarket, and Aurora. About 22 people are housed in that program.
To purchase tickets, contact [email protected] or call 905-895-8889, extension 221. You can donate to the campaign here.
—With files from Rob Paul
