Volunteer group pushes for new homeless shelter in West Nipissing, Ont.

A new volunteer group in the northern Ontario municipality of West Nipisisng says it is filling what it sees as service gaps for people experiencing homelessness.

No More Tears West Nipissing held its first event, a food and essential items drive, on Sunday.

Kristian Primeau, a spokesperson for the group, said they collected more non-perishable food items and items like toothbrushes, clothes and tents than they expected.

"The goal of our group is to help them [people experiencing homelessness] with food and try to direct them to better services," Primeau said.

"Our future goal is to set up a shelter for them so they can come and get out of the cold, and get warm and have a place to sleep."

Primeau said the group is volunteer run for the moment, but they are looking to apply for charitable status.

While West Nipissing has a women's shelterthe Horizon Women's Shelter it doesn't have a men's shelter or low-barrier shelter, which doesn't turn away people if they arrive drunk or high on drugs.

Primeau said that during the colder winter months, many people experiencing homelessness in the community go to North Bay, to the east, or Sudbury, to the west, where more services are available.

West Nipissing Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon said it's difficult for small municipalities to get the funding and expertise needed to expand their housing and social services.

"If it was easy or fast, somebody would have figured it out by now," she said.

"When we're just a small community in northern Ontario, finding the answers that will suit our community can be difficult."

West Nipissing has a population of around 15,000.

'It's also an issue of funding'

Thorne Rochon said West Nipissing is investing more than $3.4 million this year into its social services administration board, which covers a range of programs including child and family services and housing services.

She added the Association of Municipalities of Ontario is lobbyingthe federal and provincial governments to provide more funding to address housing issues in smaller communities.

As for a future shelter, Thorne Rochon said the municipality would need to determine if the need is there.

"We would have to see what the numbers are, you know, and whether there is enough demand within the community that we could support it," she said.

"And then it's also an issue of funding."