Yorkton emergency shelter sees growing demand as temperatures drop

Bruno's Place opened on Oct. 6 and has seen a demand in services as temperatures drop. (Stacey Hein / CTV News)

Yorkton, Sask. -

Yorkton’s emergency shelter, Bruno’s Place, has seen an increased demand as temperatures drop.

Bruno's Place, located at 139 Dominion Ave., became Yorkton’s first emergency shelter when it opened on Oct. 6.

The shelter accommodates both men and women and has 10 cots. It often reaches full capacity from Thursday through Monday.

Angela Chernoff, director of Bruno’s place said things change almost every day.

“We didn't know what we were getting into. This was a new pilot project in this community. We didn't know who was going to walk in the door,” she said.

So far the shelter has seen a majority of women and people with a wide variety of needs.

“Seniors that have struggled with a fixed income, we’ve seen someone come from bed bugs, people being just generally homeless, people who are transient through the province,” Chernoff said

The goal of the shelter is to connect clients with appropriate supports.

“We do already have some success stories. We have had at least three individuals transition into stable housing,” she said.

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Bruno’s Place received grant money to help start the shelter, but it only covers half of the operating costs, according to Chernoff.

“The reality of this is we do have to give a lot of complimentary nights, where our costs are from $120 to 150 per person and so we’re eating up that cost,” she said.

Chernoff said one way to help is to donate money and cover the cost of a free night. Another way to help the non-profit is by donating essential items.

“If you want to donate toilet paper, paper towel, laundry soap, things like that. Those cost get pretty high because we are open 24-7 and there are four washrooms in here,” she said.

The shelter also accepts food donations as long as they are not expired.

Chernoff said it has been a learning curve but the staff at Bruno’s Place have lived up to the challenge.

“I’m hugely grateful to the team that we have here,” she said.

Currently the non-profit is in the process of developing a volunteer policy, and asks the public to keep an eye on their Facebook and Instagram pages for updates.