Matching funds City contributes up to $6,000 to keep homeless shelter open Retired senator Herb Sparrow offers another $6,000. Public urged to donate too By Doug Collie, Editor A North Battleford temporary homeless shelter has some financial breathing room. North Battleford city council voted unanimously Thursday to match donations to the shelter to a maximum of $6,000. (Two councillors, Brad Pattinson and Ray Fox, were absent. However, Councillor Trent Houk said Pattinson had indicated support for the idea). City council is encouraging other residents to donate as well. At the moment, the shelter only has enough money to operate until the end of January. City officials were told the shelter needed $12,000 to operate until the end of March. City Councillor Trent Houk made the motion to donate the money. Councillor Don Buglas seconded it. Houk said retired Senator Herb Sparrow has offered to give a $6,000 donation himself on the understanding that that money will be matched. “Specifically, the motion read: be it resolved that the city contribute matching dollars, based on community donation support, up to a maximum of $6,000 to assist the Battlefords Indian Metis Friendship Centre (BIMFC) with the operations of the Emergency Homeless Shelter to the end of March, 2012, with the amount of assistance based on estimates that $12,000 is necessary to operate the shelter for the next two months.” Houk said he planned to make a $200 donation and he hopes others do too. “Whether it’s a dollar or $5, every penny helps,” he said during debate. “Come out and support this, and help these people to operate, and maybe even transition some of these people off the street in the next two months,” Houk said afterward to reporters. BIMFC Executive Director Jackie Kennedy is grateful for the city’s decision. “It’ll solve the problem till the end of March, and in April, it’s warm,” Kennedy said during an interview with the Daily News. “That’s awesome news, that’s unbelievable. I’m very excited about that.” Kennedy is floored by that Sparrow’s offer. She says he has been generous in other ways, too.

"He’s already donated us the washer and dryer for our facility also, so I mean, that’s really honourable of him,” she said. Fire Chief Pat MacIsaac told council he’d learned from Homeless Shelter officials that 179 people stayed at the centre between Dec. 11 and Jan. 26. The centre has accommodated up to 16 people in one night. MacIsaac told council it has had an average of four people staying there per night. Kennedy told the Daily News that at one point, a family of five – a woman and her kids – stayed there for about a week. “Are they able to have families,” Councillor Grace Lang asked. MacIsaac wasn’t sure. Councillor Ron Crush supported the motion but expressed concern that he doesn’t want it to be precedent-setting – that the federal or provincial governments use the city’s decision as an excuse not to fund the shelter themselves and leave it to the city to finance it. Continued on page 2