Calgary’s Centre of Hope Welcomes Salvation Army Clients Who Were Forced to Evacuate Their Homes
The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope in Calgary has opened its doors to provide shelter to Salvation Army clients and staff from Yellowknife who were forced to evacuate as part of The Salvation Army’s emergency response to wildfires.
A total of 17 clients came to the Centre of Hope along with some staff members. Fifteen of these clients were receiving mental health support, while the other two were part of a parole program. At the centre, evacuees were given accommodation, food, hydration and additional support.
Executive Director of the Centre of Hope, Cliff Wiebe, says his team did an excellent job to get the premises ready for the arrival of the guests.
“We all rolled up our sleeves and, in one afternoon, got spaces ready for them.”
“I’m so proud of our team. They did an amazing job getting everything ready in a very short period,” Cliff said.
Coincidentally, the Centre of Hope was preparing to open extra residential rooms in the building in the coming weeks. Once they received notice of the emergency response efforts, the staff worked together to accelerate the timeline of completion to ensure there was space for all the clients coming in.
“We were about two weeks out from being ready. And so I met with the team and the team said ‘Let’s do this!’. We all rolled up our sleeves and, in one afternoon, got spaces ready for them,” Cliff added.
While in Calgary, evacuees have had a great time exploring the downtown core. They are very grateful for the support they have received, and have enjoyed their stay despite the circumstances.
According to Cliff another positive reaction has come from the current residents of the Centre of Hope. The arrival of guests has allowed them to meet new people and witness the Army at work.
“Guests will be here for as long as they need to be and we will keep serving them for as long as they are here.”
“We had a floor meeting with the current residents of the building. We just wanted to thank them for welcoming the team from Yellowknife. The residents told us that they felt like they were a part of the evacuation team because they were able to welcome and make new friends,” Cliff said. “They also said that their respect and admiration for The Salvation Army went up because they saw us in action.”
For members of the community who would like to help, Cliff says donations of personal hygiene items are welcomed as they are working on assembling multiple hygiene kits. Food, drinks, and monetary donations are also appreciated.
Since the wildfire situation remains very dynamic at the moment, the timeline for the repatriation process is still unknown.
“Guests will be here for as long as they need to be and we will keep serving them for as long as they are here,” Cliff said.
Click here to support the wildfire emergency relief.
By Juan Romero
