‘Absolutely amazing’: Moose Jaw responds to help those impacted by downtown apartment fire

Moose Javians are coming together to help those who were displaced by Wednesday’s fire at the Empire Apartments.

All of the individuals in that building were part of the John Howard Society’s My Place Program.

“There was eight units in there and we had 10 individuals in that apartment building that now, unfortunately, are homeless and don’t have a place to go at this time,” said Jody Oakes, manager of justice programming and branch services for the John Howard Society.

“We know in our community that housing is a struggle to find and it’s in high demand and we kind of have a shortage of housing for a lot of our people that we serve. To have 10 more people displaced, it’s a huge loss for our people and for our program.”

The My Place Program works with individuals to address immediate concerns of homelessness and income instability. The initiative is federally funded by Reaching Home and is administered in Moose Jaw by Métis Nation Saskatchewan.

Oakes said the main goal of the program is to help clients get a fresh start on life, many of whom are struggling with mental health or substance use disorders.

All of the displaced individuals are currently being housed at a local hotel. John Howard Society staff are checking in with them on a daily and even hourly basis. The Red Cross has also been helping out, as has Social Services.

“If people are needing help with accommodations or food or clothing, we’re definitely trying to make sure that people have a place to be right now — especially with this cold weather, this time of year,” Oakes said.

“No time is good to have a fire. It’s super-cold out right now and Christmas is just a couple of days away. For a lot of our people, they don’t have a lot of family, so it’s extra hard on them. They are safe and warm at this time and we’re just trying to figure out now what that’s going to look like in the days ahead.”

Oakes said the response from the community has been amazing, with organizations and individuals reaching out to see how they can help.

“We had people drop off stuff all day long or phone and say, ‘What can we do?’ ” she said. “A school created some backpacks with some hygiene items. People were donating winter jackets (and) winter boots. Again this time of year, our people lost everything in there. They didn’t have any warm clothing.

“Churches have stepped up and offered to use some space if needed throughout the day for people to have a place to go. Needing rides, people have offered to pick up our people if they’re needing rides to get to appointments.

“It’s just been amazing. People have dropped off food, clothing, monetary donations to be able to help us purchase stuff to be able to assist people. It’s just been absolutely amazing. We had a school drop off some food. It’s really been overwhelming, but that’s Moose Jaw. It really is just a pretty amazing community and when stuff happens, everybody rallies together to help. It’s really appreciated.”

Trying to find housing for the displaced individuals will be a challenge, added Oakes, noting the society just finished a homeless count that identified 107 homeless people, with 10 more now being added to that number.

Those wanting to donate items or help in other ways are encouraged to contact Oakes at the John Howard Society at 306-690-9384. You can also reach out on Facebook or stop by the office located at 15 Hochelaga St. W from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.