Coldest Night of the Year to support Ready for Home program
By Contributor
The Nelson CARES Society’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraising event happening on Saturday, Feb 24th, 2024, will have hundreds of Nelsonites walking together in the chilly, dark streets.
Individual walkers and those who have created teams will reach out to their personal networks asking friends, family, and co-workers to donate to support their walk for this amazing cause.
Those donations will go directly to support the Ready for Home program that operates out of Ward Street Place.
In 2013, Nelson CARES Society created the Ready for Home program to help Ward Street Place (WSP) tenants sustain their housing. This program offers wrap-around supports to 45 individuals who are often coping with multiple systemic challenges to maintain their housing.
The goal of this program is to disrupt the cycle of homelessness by working one-on-one with individual tenants while they are in a safe and stable housing environment.
The Ready for Home Housing Support Worker (HSW) helps tenants navigate the social system such as government forms, healthcare appointments, and support for many other personal needs. Ward Street Place is home to an increasing number of senior and palliative individuals, with many individuals on the waiting list also falling into that demographic.
“Over the past year in this role, I have had the pleasure of supporting and building relationships with the diverse and unique community here at Ward Street Place,” said Ward Street Place, Housing Support Worker Noa Dagan.
“With the help of the generous Coldest Night fundraisers, we have hosted countless meals, education and wellbeing events, and we are fostering a strong sense of community in collaboration with our tenants. In this challenging economic climate, it is especially crucial to offer support in navigating social systems, and I am honoured to be able to serve as an advocate for our clients in these spaces.”
Nelson CARES Society is so thankful to the community for their continued support of this program through their donations to the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser.
The CNOY participants, walkers, donors, volunteers, and sponsors make this event a success every year and each year the funds raised support the much-needed Ready for Home multitude of program and activities.
