Our Place appeals for warm clothing, raingear donations
With rainy weather expected for the rest of the week, Our Place Society is in desperate need of clothing donations to keep those living on the street warm and dry.
The drop-in shelter has only about two dozen items for men and women hanging from the clothing racks, due to a drop in donations in December, said society spokesman Grant McKenzie.
“The shelves are bare, and with the wet and the cold, we need clothing,” he said.
Just as financial donations were down this Christmas, so, too, were clothes donations, McKenzie said. “Normally, we get a big influx from charity drives. Sometimes we get truckloads of clothing and we didn’t get that [in 2017].”
McKenzie said the organization is careful not to complain about a drop in donations unless the situation is dire.
“We don’t like to go to the public and say we’re down except when times get really hard like now,” he said.
For people without homes, one of the biggest challenges is wet clothing, since it’s nearly impossible to dry.
“That’s why we go through so many socks, because wet feet can be horrendous,” McKenzie said.
While all clothing is welcome, Our Place especially needs men’s jeans, pants, waterproof outerwear, shirts and T-shirts. Men’s and women’s clothing can be donated 24/7 at 919 Pandora Ave.
The Greater Victoria Extreme Weather Protocol was activated last Jan. 11 in light of dropping temperatures and heavy rain. Protocol co-ordinator Jen Wilde said 85 mats were made available, but only half were used.
People living on the streets typically make use of shelter beds after several days of wet or cold weather.
“One rainy day is not as bad as six rainy days,” Wilde said. “By the time we hit day three of the extreme weather protocol, whether it’s cold or rain or wind, then we see a peak of people coming in and accessing shelters.”