BCS funds homeless youth
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More than 100 people from the Greater Victoria area joined together in early October to support the Out of the Rain Youth Shelter, which supplies a warm, safe and dry place for youth to sleep in the winter.
The fundraiser saw local artists and businesses donate artwork and products for an auction and guests rose to the occasion, contributing more than $22,000.
Beacon Community Services’ Board Chair Dawn Fyke said she was encouraged by people’s willingness to give.
“With news of food bank donations down and poverty and homeless rates rising, it’s heartening to see such wonderful support from our community to Victoria’s homeless population,” she said.
The Out of the Rain shelter was first opened in 1998, with a group of outreach workers helping to set the program in motion. It provides shelter for youth at a rotating set of community and faith-based organizations around Victoria.
In November 2006, with the shelter on the edge of shutting down, Beacon Community Services stepped in to act as the lead agency for Out of the Rain. It operates seven days a week, from November to April, and provides two solid meals and a warm, dry place to sleep for up to 30 youth (ages 15 to 25) each night. Trained staff and nurses are available at the shelter each night.
The funds will help more than 200 youth this winter, as the shelter is funded almost entirely by charitable donations.
“This is what Beacon Community Services is all about — bringing people together to help those in need,” said Fyke.
editor@peninsulanewsreview.com
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