Photo by EverythingGP staff

By Curtis Galbraith

Community

Pandemic interrupting fund-raising efforts at Sunrise House

Nov 9, 2020 | 6:00 AM

Sunrise House Youth Emergency Shelter continues to raise money for a new facility and programs, despite the COVID-19 pandemic creating interruptions to fund-raising efforts this year.

Executive Director Tanya Wald says the City of Grande Prairie is sticking to its pledge of $500,000 for a new facility, even though Sunrise House will not be able to raise 75 per cent of the money it wanted to collect in its capital campaign as part of an agreement between the two entities.

“Unfortunately, due to COVID, fund-raising was down, so the city agreed to extend that agreement into next year. They’ll still continue to support the project and we still hope to have that building on the go next year.”

City Council granted an extension for collecting that 75 per cent to June 30, 2021, at last Monday’s meeting. The total cost of that new shelter is estimated to be $5.2 million.

Wald adds the pandemic has amplified the need to enhance the programs offered at Sunrise House.

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“We had to decrease beds due to spacing. We’ve had to limit the kind of programming we could offer because we don’t have the space. This new building will allow us just the additional programming, double the beds, as well as some housing options.”

She says a couple of fund-raising events are coming up.

“We’ll have the Orange Door Campaign running at Home Depot in December and we’ll also be selling tuques and mittens soon, so, perfect timing for that!”

On Friday, Sunrise House was one of four groups given some money by the provincial government. Wald says this will go towards a Youth Navigator Program, which will help young people age 15-24 who don’t have a safe home to return to and will be living independently.