Mayor Alex Nuttall went deep to help raise funds and food for Youth Haven on Saturday morning.
Deep into the dunk tank at the Barrie Farmers’ Market, that is.
Nuttall, along with Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson, got wet for charity and Youth Haven.
“I’m willing to get dunked for the cause,” Nuttall said.
“I’m glad to hear that they both went down,” said Lucy Gowers, Youth Haven’s executive director.
Young and old donated cash and food to Youth Haven to get three throws to dunk Nuttall and Thomson.
Youth Haven’s Wellington Street building will be both demolished and rebuilt during a two-month period.
Youth Haven provides vital services that assist youth ages 16 to 24 experiencing homelessness or at risk of being homeless in Barrie and the surrounding area. It meets the immediate needs of local youth, to provide them with shelter, food and care packages.
More than 600 youth in the region rely on supports the organization provides.
Gowers said events like dunking politicians are important to give the group exposure and to raise funds to pay for services.
“They raise awareness for the work that we do, they raise awareness for the cause, they raise awareness for anyone who is in need of our support. So, people know exactly who to contact to help get them back on their feet, to try to turn their lives around,” she said.
“Together, we can create transformative change.”
Nuttall said Youth Haven’s role in the community cannot be overestimated.
“When you think about our most vulnerable citizens in the community, be they young people, especially young people who perhaps more than likely don’t have a stable home, and then having somewhere for those young people to go to get that stability,” he said. “They get that ability to be able to focus on their futures, focus on schooling and to meet other people who are going through the same difficulties and issues.
“I think it’s an incredible organization that really does focus on individuals in the prime time in their lives, and individuals who I would say are the most vulnerable. What Youth Haven has been able to do over the years with minimal resources and what they are going to be able to do going forward with this new build, I think, is just going to be such a great contribution to our community.”
Youth Haven has operated a 19-bed emergency shelter and provides transitional housing at a separate location, along with outreach services.
When the Wellington Street shelter is demolished, which Gowers said will be soon, it will be replaced with a new facility that will house about 30 youth.
In the new facility, the upstairs will have 14 bedrooms, housing two youth in each, along with bathrooms and a sitting area.
On the main floor, there will be counselling rooms, meeting space, the main kitchen, a reception area, a doctor’s and dentist’s office, along with two single rooms for youth with mobility issues, with a ramp leading up to the main entrance.
The lower level will have laundry, storage and a single bedroom for those staying short periods of time.
Last February, Youth Haven’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser attracted more than 300 people, who walked downtown Barrie and raised more than $76,000.
The New Haven for Youth Haven campaign had raised more than $500,000 of its $2-million goal.
Donations to Youth Haven can be made at newhavenbarrie.ca.
