In the middle of its second year, Warm Welcome has found its place in the community as the number of guests at the local homeless shelter increases.
Already, trends and growth can be seen as organizers point out it's giving newcomers looking for work an avenue to stick it out a little longer.
The Salvation Army's Lieutenant Brian Bobolo said as the shelter gives people an option in Estevan, some have decided to stay in the city.
"We've had a couple of people come and because the shelter was there they decided to stay in the community as newcomers," he said. "Especially now that we're seven nights a week, they've decided to stay in town, stick it out, look for that job and maybe stay at Warm Welcome until they get their own place."
With the shelter only open four nights a week last year, he said the community lost some people who decided against staying through a lack of accommodation.
Last year they had 20 unique guests, so with 13 different people staying at the shelter already this winter, the group expects to see more new people this year, in part because people are more likely to hang in a little longer until they can find a place to live.
He said the numbers are positive, not because it identifies people who have no permanent place to stay, but because they have an option to stay warm on long winter nights.
"It's really a success story, and people are seeing it as a success story. There's no reason for the community to be ashamed that a shelter's in town," Bobolo said, calling the shelter just one more sign that Estevan is a great city.
"It's a celebration of community. We're doing exactly what Estevan has been known to do all these years. This community has always been known to take care of its own. With Warm Welcome, we're just carrying on that tradition."
The numbers show the necessity of the shelter, with 90 guests staying the night throughout December. That's 90 total nights that people have been able to stay warm, as 13 individuals have stayed at the shelter. The guests are primarily men, who make up 86 of the 90 visits.
The shelter is open every night of the week this winter, set up at the Salvation Army Sunday to Tuesday and at St. Paul's United Church from Wednesday night to Saturday. The shelter has 48 volunteers, who work at the shelter in different shifts, in the evening as well as overnight.
"We're growing in our sense of community amongst the volunteers. The volunteers are learning a lot about themselves, about the good they have in themselves," said Bobolo. "And we're really contributing to that sense of giving that the community has."
He said many of the volunteers are stepping forward because they want to be part of something, and they are able to find purpose through the shelter.
"It's not just about the 13 who have come. It's about the 48 (volunteers) as well."
Bobolo said they would like more volunteers, so the ones they have aren't overworked. He said another 30 people would be a big help to the program. Volunteers may choose where they want to commit their time, the night of the week they wish to work and the shift that works best for them.
He said they are particularly looking for people to cover the midweek nightshifts from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m.
"Our volunteer base has certainly grown this year, but we may need the volunteers to double this year. That would be wonderful, and it would certainly make it easier for us to cover all the nights."
Ultimately, the volunteers are helping provide a place for others to stay. The shelter is averaging three people a night through December, but the numbers are only increasing.
"Over the last week or two we've been noticing we've been getting five or six a night," said Bobolo, who noted they have about two regular guests. "The rest are like two or three nights at a time. Some are just one night, and they change over the course of the year."
He said there are still people in Estevan living in their cars or unheated trailers, and those individuals are being identified by volunteers or people who know about the shelter, and their situation is being brought to the attention of the Warm Welcome organizers.
"There are a lot of supporters on the periphery who I think are providing energy to the program," said Bobolo.
Bobolo said the shelter and its volunteers maintain a complete lack of judgment, which would keep people away from the program.
"They feel ostracized, and they feel prejudiced from the community sometimes, and we have overcome that," he said, noting there has been more community buy in this year. "Last year, the community as a whole was trying to understand what homelessness was all about and what a shelter is all about, and this year we're part of the community make up.
"It's a lot of fun. It's not a lot of work, and that's what we've been hearing from volunteers. You're serving coffee and muffins, and you're having fun."
