There is an urgent need for donations of sleeping bags, tents, camping supplies and old cellphones to help the Coast’s homeless, according to Sunshine Coast Homeless Outreach worker Alicia Ladouceur.
Ladouceur took over the outreach worker position from Judith Goetz at the end of June.
Currently Ladouceur is trying to provide support to 45 homeless people on the Coast and she said there’s likely “a few dozen more” she still needs to connect with.
While finding those people affordable rental housing would be ideal, there’s little available on the Coast, so camping has become a viable alternative.
“What it really comes down to is sometimes that’s all I can offer because there is just so little housing,” Ladouceur said.
While she’s been able to purchase some tents and equipment for her clients, Ladouceur said much more is needed.
Donations of tents, sleeping bags and other camping items like waterproof matches and camp stoves are needed to help keep the homeless dry and warm while they wait for the cold weather homeless shelter to reopen this fall.
Donations of old cellphones (that can be set up to take prepaid airtime minutes) can also help Ladouceur keep in touch with homeless people across the Coast and coordinate their care needs.
“I figure so many people must have old phones in their drawers when they upgrade and I really need to be able to reach people,” Ladouceur said.
“Some people don’t even want to disclose where they’re camping, so I can’t even go find them.”
Ladouceur put out the urgent call for items on Facebook last week and so far she’s had a few cellphones donated.
“What I’ve done is just made sure the person had all of their stuff cleared off it, and that it was not locked to any particular provider, and then we just went to Telus and bought the cheapest pay and talk plan to get them started,” Ladouceur said.
“That way that person now has a phone, but they’re obligated to keep paying for the minutes.”
While Ladouceur would love to see more phones donated, she’s also hopeful some tents and camping equipment will come in soon, as shelter is a top priority.
Some people have approached the outreach worker asking if they could donate food to the homeless. Ladouceur has suggested purchasing small gift cards from local grocery stores instead.
“[The homeless] can’t store large amounts of food and they have to buy particular types of food that they can eat outside and store outside, so it’s complicated in that way,” she said, adding most of her clients have been referred to the food bank.
If you would like to donate old cellphones, camping tents or gear to the Sunshine Coast Homeless Outreach program, contact Ladouceur at 778-987-6092 or by email at [email protected]
