North End Family Centre will close next month due to funding issues
The centre, which opened in 2009, moved to a larger location on Main Street 2 years ago
The North End Family Centre on Main Street will be closing its doors next month due to funding issues, executive director Jamie Buhler confirmed to CBC News on Tuesday.
The centre has been providing services to families in Winnipeg's Luxton and St. John's neighbourhoods since 2009, and served as a meeting space for the community.
After running on mostly private donations for 10 years, the centre is set to close on Oct. 4.
"Like a lot of organizations, there are obviously a lot of funding issues that have been ongoing for quite some time, and you try to alleviate those as best as you can but you eventually do reach a time when you need to make a decision," said executive director Jamie Buhler.
A news release said debt, reduced funding streams, and organizational issues forced the centre to close.
Buhler wouldn't say how much of a funding shortfall the organization faces, but he said no amount of money could fix the problem.
"There were some things that came up in the spring that made the need great, and made the need immediate, and we began looking for sources of funding that were very large and we just were not in a position where short-term solutions were going to fix long-term problems," he said.
In 2015, the centre moved to a larger space at 1344 Main St., a half a block from its old location, after raising over $200,000 through donations.
The centre provides free programming for families struggling with poverty, including sharing circles for men and women, workshops and children's programming, according to its website.
The centre also offers a laundry facility, access to phones and computers, and person hygiene supplies.
Jackie Cook visits the centre several times a week. She comes to do laundry, work on school assignments and have a cup of coffee with friends.
"It's been helping a lot of people with housing, jobs, resumes, just a safe place for everybody. But for me, since it's closing, I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to go next," she said.
According to its website, the centre is "supported by a growing number of compassionate individuals, families, clubs, businesses, and churches."
Organizational issues
Along with mounting debt, Buhler said there were other issues at play, including trouble paying the centre's three part-time employees.
"I'm feeling some tremendous sadness, some shock and disbelief," he said.
Kyle Mason founded the centre in 2009 and left the organization late last year. He said finding funding was always an issue for the non-profit organization, and said some donors didn't stay on board when he left.
"There's some bumps in the road to be expected when you go from a long-time leader and a founder to a new leader, and I thought that was what they were experiencing. I never knew they were quite at this level," he said.
In a post on Facebook on Tuesday, Mason said he would have been willing to step in to help if he had been asked.
"It is disappointing that the thousands of donors who gave over the years, along with the countless allies and volunteers who gave so much of their time, were not given the opportunity to help in the family centre's time of need," he said.
A community meeting was held yesterday to inform people about the closure.
"It kind of makes me feel sad, angry, because I see a lot of people that are coming here and they have access to a lot of things they didn't have access to in the past,"
A barbecue is planned for Oct. 9 to celebrate the centre and "the many successes we've witnessed," Tuesday's media release said.
With files from Holly Caruk