'Ending homelessness is going to take all of us': charity hosts annual fundraiser for Edmonton’s most vulnerable

COLDESTEDM

Edmontonians hiked through Hawrelak Park this weekend to show their support for those in our city experiencing homelessness.

Before walkers began their stroll Saturday afternoon, the Bissell Centre’s Coldest Night of the Year event had already raised $132,000, surpassing this year’s fundraising goal by more than $10,000.

Scarlet Bjornson, communications specialist at the Bissell Centre, says that money will go to support programs and supply essentials like gloves and boots for those visiting the Bissell Centre community.

“Whatever we need for the community space, such as personal protective equipment (and) other essential needs for showers,” said Bjornson. “Just to keep those urgent needs for folks coming in and out of the cold.”

Bjornson says the pandemic and this winter’s extreme cold has added an extra challenge for the centre in its goal to keep those in need of shelter safe and warm.

“With COVID-19 effecting capacity at all our agencies because of AHS standards, it’s been even more challenging and we have lines outside,” said Bjornson.

“We don’t like to see that so we try to get people in and help them as quick as possible and get them moving on to another location that they can maybe stay for a little bit longer and stay warmer.”

Over a dozen walkers gathered to show their support in Edmonton today and they were not alone. The Bissell Centre is just one of the several hundred communities to take part in the annual fundraiser across Canada and the United States.

It’s a joint effort Bjornson believes is not only helpful, but necessary.

“Ending homelessness is going to take all of us,” said Bjornson. “You have all of these initiatives at all sorts of different agencies, any kind of support you can to any of our agencies is so appreciative and we just want to thank everyone out there.”

You can visit the fundraiser’s website to donate.