REGINA – YWCA smashed its fundraising goal of $20,000 at Saturday’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser.
“We’re over $21,000,” said event coordinator, Denise Donahue. “Donations are still pouring in so we’re hoping to far exceed what we originally thought.”
In Canada, an estimated 150,000 people could be spending a winter night on the street. That number sits closer to 30 in Regina, not including the estimated 200 people using transitional housing or emergency shelters.
The YWCA says homelessness is a diverse problem in Regina. Last year’s first-ever homeless count saw 232 people on the street and using local shelters, many of them below the age of 18.
“What we found in the point-in-time count last May was that 37% of the homeless that night in Regina were children,” said senior director of housing at YWCA Regina, Amy Stensrud.
“Many of those children were in our shelters or in our programs with their mothers. It’s a significant problem.”
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All the money raised in Regina goes directly into YWCA outreach programs that support local women and families experiencing homelessness. Stensrud says she hopes the event gets more people interested in learning how they can combat homelessness.
“We spend all of our time talking about these issues and working with families, so it’s what we see every day. But for people from all across Regina to be showing support for the causes we feel so passionately about, it’s very heartwarming.”
The Coldest Night of the Year is held in nearly 100 communities across Canada. This year, the goal was to raise $4-million total.
At the time of writing, YWCA Regina has raised $23,093.
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