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Sunday, November 7,1999 Oakville Beaver Weekend Grace House would only be temporaiy solution (Continued from page 1) ated as a group home for people with men tal health problems. The two-storey white house has been sold to developers, however, and the current residents are scheduled to move to a new facility. Once that happens, it will be avail able to the town as a temporary shelter, but only until March 31, 2000. At that point a permanent site for an emergency shelter must be found. A public information meeting is sched uled at the Oakville Municipal Building, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. on Monday to discuss amending the by-laws to open Grace House to the homeless. Although the study identified an urgent need for temporary housing last April, town planner David Nelson said imple menting the recommendations has been blocked by-law restrictions. Currently, emergency short-term housing is not per mitted in either commercial or residential zones. Mayor Ann Mulvale said staff are being asked to investigate a number of other zon ing solutions that could be used in the long term. Depending on the outcome of the pub lic information meeting, Nelson said the recommendation to amend the zoning by law will go before Council on Nov. 22nd. Both Mulvale and Braddock stress the people who will use the short term shelter are not street people, but could become them without assistance. Mulvale said those who need emer gency shelters usually fall into three cate gories: adolescents estranged from family or escaping an abusive situation who, by hav ing a roof over their head, can be kept in school. abused women, with or without chil dren, who have finished their time at a women's shelter and are having trouble finding accommodation, or people suffer ing a martial breakdown and struggling to rebuild a new life people who have employment, but nowhere to live. Mulvale said this last category, whom Braddock refers to as the working poor, is one of the fastest growing in Canada. Short-term emergency shelters provide them a place, other than the street or their cars, until suitable housing can be found. "It is a program to give them a breath ing space to move on to something else while being supported in this temporary venue," said Mulvale. She said a steering committee found the average time people need to spend in a facility like this is 10 days, with 30 days being the maximum. The provincial government has given $150,000 to Halton Region for the admin istration of the short-term emergency shel ter and the day-to-day running of Grace House will be overseen by the Salvation Army. Currently when people come to the Salvation Army seeking shelter Braddock said he sends them to either Burlington or Toronto. "Whether they are families or youths or single men and women it is very difficult to place them within the town of Oakville," said Braddock. Photo by Barrie Erskine O BJECT OF THEIR AFFECTION: Susan Pedersen, of David Findlay Fashions, jennifer Orlando, of j. Orlando Fashions, and Joan Gibb, of the Oakville Cancer Society offer up a toast to the Cause and Affection fashion show fundraiser for breast cancer research, The event is on Thursday, Nov. 18th at 7:30 p.m. at LeDome Banquet Hall. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at j. Orlando Fashions (3372934) or David Findlay Fashions (337-7138). Show will feature fall and winter designs and special Y2K fashions. Proceeds to the Oakville Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society. Ik lung's inns W e V e Ju s t G o t t e n B e t t e r ! · Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials Book YourHoliday Function · Private Banquet facilities up to · Blues Band every Sunday -No Giver- Welcome Addition ... C hef John Keuper-Pedersen (right) joins C h ef Greg Rice to form one o f Oakville's finest cullinary teams. (Snjoi/- t/ie Jzu a littf 323 Church St. (M iller M ews) 845-1010 I