Sudbury group that helps vulnerable population gets a new place to call home

A volunteer-based organization has secured a place to call home while helping vulnerable Sudburians.

The Go-Give Project is a nightly mobile outreach service that has been operating now for two years. It offers a wide variety of services ranging from first aid and overdose response to helping the homeless community.

The group operates mainly downtown, seven days a week, from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m.

“There’s just been such an influx of individuals who are suffering from homelessness. We are going through an opioid pandemic throughout Ontario, Sudbury being disproportionally affected by it,” said Ali Farooq, harm reduction/outreach manager with the Go-Give Project.

“So, we felt that there has to be someone looking out for these individuals at night time and that’s what we do … we do drive around and take the services to the individuals.”

The executive director of the group, Evie Ali, said the services they offer are vital in Greater Sudbury.

“We came to learn very quickly that there is a very large population of clients that don’t necessarily have the abilities to navigate themselves, so we really try to help get those individuals in particular resources within our community,” Ali said.

The City of Greater Sudbury told CTV News that there are currently roughly 180 people who are homeless in Sudbury, many of them unsheltered or in encampments.

Last year, the Go-Give Project encountered 32 overdoses within the city.

“Unfortunately, two of those were not reversible but we did attend to over 30 individuals where there was nobody else at the time to attend to them,” said Farooq.

“So, we see it as a very crucial and very important service.”

As of next month, the group will officially have its own space which will be located at 154 B Durham Street in the downtown core.

“We’re all just so excited to be here doing this,” said Ali.

“We didn’t expect it, we weren’t necessarily planning it but we’re here and we are ready to jump in even further to build that capacity and just reach more people.”

Ali said having the new space will not only provide relief to volunteers but also makes it easier for the group to connect with clients.

“This definitely allows us to centralize all of our operations and it’s going to alleviate the load off of many of our volunteers,” she said.

“It’s also going to allow a central location for our supporters to stop by and see what’s going on and they’ll be able to drop off their donations there, as well.”

The people running the Go-Give Project say they are welcoming donations, especially of coats, mitts and blankets, in order to prepare individuals for the winter months.

To make a donation, you can visit their website.