More than 250 people will be bundling up this weekend to take a brief walk in the shoes of young people experiencing homelessness in Barrie.
Angela Kerr is leading a nine-person team representing Burton Avenue United Church, which will walk five kilometres as part of the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY), an annual fundraiser in support of Barrie-based charitable organization Youth Haven
Kerr, who is in her third year helping organize the team, which this year ranges in age between 17 and 66, said the local church has been participating in the event for approximately eight years.
“An important mission of our church is to reach out to our community and support people who might be struggling, facing housing insecurity, food insecurity and other challenges such as substance abuse … and that is an important activity of our church," she said.
“We make an intentional effort to support our local community, so when there are fundraising efforts for our local social service agencies such as Youth Haven or Busby Centre … we actively participate in those as we can and we collaborate with those communities partners … and seek out how, as a faith community, we can best provide some support," Kerr added.
The team had set a fundraising goal of $2,000, an amount they have surpassed.
“We have raised $2,300 and that’s just from our team,” she said proudly, adding the event offers participants a “very small taste” of what it’s like for the youth who find themselves on the street.
“We are only walking five kilometres, and we could probably do it in an hour. It’s a very small taste of what people with housing insecurities deal with every day, for 24 hours a day sometimes," Kerr added. "It’s a signal of solidarity with our community members that are facing these challenges … and this gives us a small taste of what they experience.”
The event, which this year is expected to include 226 walkers on 46 teams, also serves as a symbol of the community’s collective support, Kerr said.
“It’s an activity and event that raises awareness to the seriousness of this problem, and all the funds raised in Barrie go to support youth Haven and all of the good services they provide,” she said.
Since 2011, the Coldest Night of the Year has raised more than $57,000,000 across Canada in 166 communities, and 100 per cent of net proceeds stay in the community in which they were raised.
The Barrie walk, which as of 5 p.m. on Feb. 21 had raised $49,671 of its $80,000 fundraising goal, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. with check in located at 70 Collier St., and will take participants through downtown Barrie and passed Youth Haven's transitional house and emergency shelter locations.
Youth Haven executive director Lucy Gowers explained that the facility is more than a shelter.
“For 35 years, Youth Haven has helped youth experiencing homelessness, or at risk of becoming homeless, through crisis intervention and programming," she said in an email to BarrieToday. "We provide emergency shelter, a transitional housing program, care management, outreach services, advocacy, employment, education and housing support.
"With the generous support of individuals … who are participating in our CNOY Walk, we will be able to help our youth gain a firm foundation upon which to build better lives," Gowers added. "Our community's generosity and support will have benefits that are far-reaching and undeniable … because together, we will help our youth experiencing homelessness, or at risk of becoming homeless, become successful adults.”
