Halifax charity suspends emergency assistance program due to funding shortfall

A Halifax-based charity has had to temporarily suspend emergency assistance because funding for its program is running out sooner than expected.

In a typical year, the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank can help upwards of 200 people with costs like electricity, heating oil and prescription drugs.

Parker Street offers assistance on an urgent basis for people who apply for help when they can't make the payments themselves.

But executive director Denise Daley said Parker Street has already used 80 per cent of the fund's budget in just over a month.

Daley said the charity will process requests received by Feb. 16, but won't be able to deal with anything after that for now.

"The increase is due to inflation and the bills are going up as well, so persons are looking for a friendly neighbour, somebody who's able to help," Daley said.

"They reach out to us because the cost of food is high, medication is high — everything is going up where salaries are staying the same, so how can they make ends meet?"

Daley said Parker Street also gets requests for assistance for things like car payments, but she said the fund is not set up for that.

Home heating oil, Daley said, is the No. 1 request, followed by power bills and then prescription drugs.

Daley said the fund usually has a budget of at least $40,000 a year. She said Parker Street is now fundraising to replenish the fund.