No ill feelings after losing Sudbury shelter contract, Salvation Army says

Morning North6:50New provider to run Sudbury's overnight shelter this winter

The Canadian Mental Health Association will be running Sudbury's overnight shelter this winter. This is a new endeavour for the organization. the CEO for CMHA Sudbury Manitoulin, Marion Quigley, joined us to talk about taking on the service.Despite losing the contract to run Sudbury's former "Out of the Cold" program, the Salvation Army's executive director Major Karen Hoeft says the organization is still committed to helping the community where it can, and holds no ill feelings towards the city.

Recently, the city awarded the contract to run the winter shelter program to the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury-Manitoulin.

The Salvation Army in Sudbury has run the shelter for the city since it first began the program in December 2014.

"We're privileged to serve, and we respect the right of communities to make those decisions, " Hoeft said.

"Our assumption is that the decisions are made in an upright process."

Even though the contract was awarded to an organization that has no experience in running an overnight shelter, Hoeft said the Salvation Army is not out of the business.

"We're still running the main shelters that are 24 hrs, 365 days a year, and we've been running them for 75 plus years and will continue to do so."

Hoeft said they will offer advice to the new providers if they seek it out. "Whether that's with the expertise that we've gained over the last 100 years or whether that's with just the knowledge base that we have of the community and the people."

She said at the end of the day Salvation Army helps people.

"We are privileged to walk with some really amazing people in our community who are often forgotten, neglected or seen as a nuisance. We see them as very colourful individuals, whomwe are privileged to walk with."

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