WRYM's February 2019 Netletter

A Cold Night Out - The Coldest Night of the Year, Again !!!
I’d like to challenge you once more to spend as much time as you can with me, as if you were experiencing homelessness, on a commercial/industrial parking lot at 1350 St. Luke Road in an unique part of Windsor on the Coldest Night of the Year, (my 70th birthday), from 5pm on Friday, the 22nd until 7am on the 23rd  of this month. 

The rules of participation are strict, challenging and contained in the information attachment below.  You will check in on site at 1350 St. Luke Road, Windsor, Ontario, by submitting this form, fully completed, as well as the pledge sheet(s) (also below) and funds collected to date.

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coldest_night_out_2019_-_release.pdf
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coldest_night_out_2019_-_pledge_sheet.pdf
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We can never duplicate the desperation of homelessness. The rules listed allow for participants to leave at any time with the knowledge that they have a warm home, hot bath and a good meal to return to.  Something the homeless can only dream about while facing another night of misery. Something participants might think about, too!

We are doing this to raise funds to help our guys at WRYM through pledges based on the hours you will last that night, out in the cold.  You must bring the signed Release and Pledge Sheet with you.  You are welcome to challenge or decline and sponsor others, ( even me)!  See you in 3 weeks time?

 I would like to thank Dave Woodall of Medachrom Holdings Limited for the use of a unique piece of property, (with an on-site warming centre and washroom!)
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Our WRYM 2018 Year End Statistics
Our program success rate, measured in the number of residents who have left the streets, is 92%, with a 3-year average of 90%. See that success and more in our WRYM 2018 Year End Stats - download them here!

wrym_2018_year_end_stats__3_.pdf
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​Something to Think About
Local news (CBC, 01/07/19) ran a story about a homeless shelter titled, “Why Adult Shelters are Scary for London’s Homeless Youth”. CBC noted that the current system involving youth accessing emergency shelter in a shared space with adults is highly problematic and that these sorts of shared spaces put youth at greater risk of:

1. violence
2. drug use
3. being traffic
4. chronic homelessness
5. mental health decline

Does the Windsor/Essex community need a separate youth hostel, a warm (or cool) place for street youth, who are not yet ready to change their lives, to simply “flop for the night” with free meals? We have drop-in centres and transitional housing for homeless youth - but, is there an “in between” resource lacking?

Please let me know your thoughts at greggoulin@cogeco.net

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• Infiniti Nissan of Windsor, a member of the Revenberg Automotive Family for a pick-up truck load of household cleaning products and age appropriate new clothes
• Capital Power Corporation for a $1,000 donation to fund our program
• Contents Processing Centre (CPC Windsor) for $250 from electronics recycling
• Graphix Plus for new work clothing
• RBC Royal Bank for “paying” WRYM” $1,000 to train 6 of their executive to become Ambassadors of our program
• And to the anonymous person who replaced the broken glass on the door of our “Little Library”

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We offer a hand up – not a handout

Greg
Gregory D. Goulin, LSM, JD
Executive Director, (pro bono)