Preparations heat up for the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising event

Photo: Submitted

Noa Dagan, housing support coordinator at Ward Street Place.

As the West Kootenay weather prepares to keep a chill in it into the month of February, the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising event is preparing to meet it head on.

On Saturday, Feb 22, Nelson CARES Society’s 11th Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) fundraising event will be taking place with hundreds of walkers hitting the chilly, dark streets of Nelson and over 100 volunteers keeping them safe, on track, fed and cheered on.

The funds raised during this event will support the Ready for Home Program — as it has for the last eight years — that operates out of Ward Street Place, supporting residents to stay safely housed.

“Research shows that if we can support people to stay housed for a period of two years, re-entry into homelessness is significantly diminished and health outcomes are dramatically improved,” said Noa Dagan, housing support coordinator at Ward Street Place.

“This program aims to intervene in the cycle of homelessness and work one-on-one with individuals to maintain their stability, something from which the whole community benefits.”

Two years into her role Dagan said some significant work is being accomplished.

“(I)t has been so rewarding to have the opportunity to build strong, open and trusting support relationships with clients and collaborate to help achieve their goals,” she said. “While resources feel increasingly scarce, it is also incredible to watch the ways in which the community and countless organizations have come together to fill in service gaps and show up to support one another."

• For more information about the event or to volunteer, go to cnoy.org/nelson, or contact [email protected].