NEW GLASGOW
A second municipality has granted Viola’s Place Society funding to help purchase a building to house a homeless shelter.
New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks confirmed Monday that the Town of New Glasgow will be giving Viola’s Place Society $7,500 as a capital grant.
“The Town of New Glasgow does contribute to capital costs to projects like this, but we don't provide operational funds so it will be a one-time ask,” she said, adding she wanted to thank the volunteers of the First United Baptist Church for hosting a temporary shelter during the past few years and wished the board of Viola’s Place Society the best of luck in the future with their project.
Dicks said New Glasgow had set the $7,500 aside in its 2017-2018 budget and wanted to see an appraisal of the building as well as an operational plan before the grant money was released. The society board had presented the towns with an operational plan when it first announced it would be purchasing the building in New Glasgow, and a few other municipal units wanted to see a more detailed revised plan.
“We were presented with a revised operational plan and we were comfortable granting the $7,500,” she said.
The society has requested $5,000 from the Town of Stellarton and $10,000 to be split between Trenton, Pictou and Westville. The Municipality of Pictou County has already donated $8,000 to the society.
The Viola’s Place Society, which is comprised of local volunteers, wants to purchase the former Life Shelter building to transform it into a permanent adult homeless shelter. It has until the end of April to raise the $60,000 needed to purchase building which was once a homeless shelter. The Life Shelter closed its doors in 2016 for financial reasons and a temporary shelter opened in First United Baptist in October to give people a place to go while Viola’s Place Society worked to secure its building. The temporary shelter will be closing April 28.
Pictou County Warden Robert Parker said his council agreed to the donation after the society made a presentation to mayors and wardens. Each municipal leader took it back to their own council for a decision on funding.
“There wasn’t a lot of hold-back on our council,” Warden said when it came time for the county to vote on funding. “Everyone was wondering how they were going to keep it going once they got the building, but they were willing to put their faith into the people doing it.”
Parker said he doesn’t fault other councils for being more cautious and asking for a more defined operational plan, but time is running out for the society to be able to purchase the building.
“There is no question that they felt the need was there and I still think they feel that way,” he said.
The society said donations have come from local churches and business fundraisers as well as individual contributions from people across Canada, but as of Monday it had not yet reached its goal. Anyone wanting to donate to Viola’s Place Society can do so at any Scotiabank in the county or can contact the society directly at through its Facebook page or email at [email protected].