Kitchener shelter for homeless mothers reaching out to community for help - Action News
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Kitchener-WaterlooVideo

Kitchener shelter for homeless mothers reaching out to community for help

Marillac Place in Kitchener needs help to make sure mothers and their children have access to basic needs like laundry baskets and towels.

Marillac Place makes sure mothers and their children have access to basic needs

New mothers experiencing homelessness are in need of the basics, says charity

10 months ago
Duration 4:15
Marillac Place, a homeless shelter for mothers, needs help to make sure they're stocked with basic items like laundry baskets and towels. Julie Walder, executive director of the shelter, explains why this year has proven to be especially difficult for mothers experiencing homelessness.

A homeless shelter for mothers in need is reaching out to the community for help.

Marillac Place in Kitchener is looking for everyday items like laundry baskets, crib sheets and receiving blankets for women and children in need.

Julie Walder, executive directorof the shelter, said this year has been especially challengingbecause of staff burnout and overall funding challenges.

"Frontline staff are forced to prioritize based on the needs immediately in front of them and it really boils down to a limited ability to sit and spend time engaging in conversation and care," she said.

"So when we're forced to operate in a reactive capacity, I think thatjust really diminishes our ability to provide support that everybody deserves to have access to."

Walder saidthe average cost of a welcome basket is about $250 for each woman whocomes to Marillac Place.

After that, there are more support baskets available forpregnant women with a need for pre or post natal care items like baby wipes, onesies and diaper bags. It costs Marillac Place about $275 to prepare a basket with those types of items.

In total, it can cost over $31,000 year to make sure 30 mothers have all the items they need to take care of themselves and their children while living at Marillac Place.

The shelter only acceptsdonations of brand new items from the public. They also accept monetary donations.

Walder said some of the funding challenges are due to the rising cost of food, which is higher than they expected and planned for this year.

"We reach out to the community for donations, but are at the mercy of our community's availability to give," she said.

"Many people are tightening their budgets. Times are difficult for many people."