The city of Vernon is doing what it can to allow an emergency women's shelter toopen as soon as possible. City Council has agreed to overlook any zoning infractions should the All Saints AnglicanChurch on 27-th
Street open a temporary shelter for the winter.The city's finance committee will also consider funding the facility. Annette Sharkey from the Social Planning Council says thanks to the community support, therecould be a final deal in place soon. 'We're just taking it day by day and we're really hopeful for the middle of January, but like I said,there are just a few little things that we need to get in place before we can absolutely announcethe shelter is open for sure.' Sharkey says a more permanent site for the up to 100 homeless women in the city, will be looked at after the winter.
Barry Beardsell was the lone council member to vote against not enforcing the zoning, citing concernsabout legal liabilities. Meantime, two homeless women who attended yesterday's council meeting, are critical of the cityfor not providing assistance sooner. Dorraine Boucher tells KISS FM the help can't come soon enough, 'We're all sick, we all get upearly in the morning and walk the streets and stuff all night. But my thing is how about our city council men walk the walk that we walk. You know you all sit in here, with their big fancy suits on and you all got nice homes. How many of you are homeless and walk the streets that we walk?'
Boucher says many homeless females are having to provide sexual services to men, in order to geta warm place to sleep at night. She claims two street-women have already died of pneumonia this winter. (Pete McIntyre)
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