SingleKey’s Charity Highlight: Inn From The Cold

Beyond providing shelter and hot meals, their 8-week self-discovery program, “Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World,” offers participants employability training, job site mentorship, and a wage for community work to help them achieve financial stability. What’s more, their “Stability Now” transitional housing program helps people find affordable rentals with wrap-around support, including a case manager and group activities. In 2020, the Stability Now program saw an 80% success rate in transitional housing, all thanks to the hard work of local communities and volunteers.

Their mission began in the winter of 2004, when Mayor Tom Taylor received a call asking where a homeless person could stay when the emergency shelters were filled due to extreme cold temperatures. This led to the opening of a warming center at the Old Town Hall, where people could get hot beverages and a warm place to stay for nights when temperatures dropped below -15C. At the start, the warming center was mainly supported by 25 Town of Newmarket employees who volunteered their time. Soon, word spread, and Inn From The Cold began to expand their services to reach more people in need of help.

Fast forward to 2020, Inn From The Cold is now the combined effort of over 250 volunteers. This past year, they successfully:

• Registered 5,853 shelter stays
• Prepared 25,851 meals
• Welcomed 2,500 drop-in visits
• Distributed 1,015 articles of clothing
• Housed 30 individuals
• Clocked 6,432 volunteer hours

It is all thanks to the support of partners and volunteers that Inn From The Cold has been able to fulfill their mission of providing shelter, dignity, and safety for those in need throughout the York Region.