TRURO, N.S. – With so many hurdles cleared, it’s just the need for volunteers that keeps the Truro homeless shelter from providing service seven days a week.
Renovations to Hub House, at 862 Prince St., are complete. An occupancy permit has been issued and the public is invited to stop by the open house on Sunday to see the new facilities.
“We need 150 to 200 volunteers to ensure all shifts can be covered, and at the moment there are only 45 confirmed,” said Dwight Griffiths, administrative co-ordinator at the shelter. “We have no set date for opening but we’re going to try maybe a couple of days a week until we have more volunteers.”
He encourages potential volunteer volunteers to stop by during the open house and learn more.
“The biggest need is for people to cover the 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. shift and the 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. one, but there’s flexibility within shifts,” he said. “They would take care of things like client intake, serving a meal and doing some light cleaning.”
Hub House is designed as an emergency shelter for people 16 and older, but with inclement weather, it is hoped it could be open through the day. It has beds for 10 men and four women.
“The bedrooms are upstairs in an area that was still set up to wash hair a couple of weeks ago,” said Griffiths, of the former hair salon. “A lot of time was donated by individuals and businesses to get everything done. Some of the guests came in to help with renovations.”
Several items from Lavers House were repurposed to provide things like showers.
The new shelter has a dining room/gathering space with books and games; donations of more books and games are welcomed. A storage area in the basement holds tinned foods and clothing and there is a washing machine and dryer on site. Extra bedding is stored in a space near the bedrooms.
Donations of kitchen items and furniture to help clients set up their own homes are always welcome, but one of the biggest needs right now is for packable lunch items – granola bars, juice packs and sandwich spreads.
The shelter had been operating at First United Church until mid-June, when it closed to relocate to 862 Prince St. A community navigator has been helping homeless people find resources while the shelter isn’t available.
Anyone interested in volunteering can email [email protected]
The open house on Sunday runs 1-4 p.m.
