Timmins shelter keeping homeless warm during Christmas

TIMMINS -

Amidst an increase of extreme weather warnings this winter, the Living Space shelter in Timmins has been at work making sure the local homeless community has a warm place to stay — especially during the holiday season.

Operations Director Robin Maj said outreach workers have been on patrol daily.

"They are meeting people where they're at, trying to bring them in from the cold," Maj said.

"We definitely want anyone who is experiencing homelessness or, even if it's just temporarily, without a place to go, to come down to the shelter."

The spread of the Omicron COVID variant hasn't impacted services, Maj said, since the shelter's new location has plenty of space to accommodate physical distancing.

The shelter has also been proactive with its public health measures, she said, and so she's expecting everything to continue running smoothly.

That sentiment also apparently extends to Living Space's lack of an executive director, with its previous leader, Jason Sereda, leaving the position to pursue other work.

The shelter's chairman, Brian Marks, said in a release that operations will continue as usual, while its board looks for a new director.

“Community members who rely on Living Space will receive the same level of care,” Marks said.

“We have an operations team in place who are dedicated and capable of delivering the programs and services currently provided by our organization.”