Starting Feb. 13, drop-in hours at Royal City Mission will be extended by four hours, allowing them to open the doors at 8 a.m. instead of noon.
The change comes after months of advocating for the funding to cover more hours, as RCM continues to see an increased need for services in the community. And just in time, as wind chill temperatures begin dropping significantly.
“We’re excited for our community to have a space. That’s the big thing for us, is the community being safe and warm and having a place where they’re cared for," said pastor and executive director Kevin Coghill.
In the last year, the number of people accessing their services increased from around 300 people to 1,000.
Even now, they’re continuing to see new faces, which is why extending the hours was so crucial.
Council unanimously approved $250,000 in funding for additional hours in mid-December, and the funding will support extended hours through to the end of 2023.
Though prior to the change doors were open until 8 p.m., Coghill said the change to 7:30 p.m. was because they know people will take time to leave, so volunteers will end up staying until 8. Plus, by that time, most unhoused people will have moved onto a shelter.
During those hours, there won’t be any additional food services, but they always have snacks and beverages on hand.
There will also be a health clinic, where a nurse from the Community Health Centre comes in during the morning.
“It will be mostly just a place to stay out of the element and connect with staff, and access the computers,” he said.
They’ve had a number of new volunteers join on recently to support the extended hours, but Coghill said they could always use more.
You can learn more about RCM here.
