It has been a challenging winter weather-wise for most of us, but for some residents of Nanoose Bay the challenge has been much greater. During two of the coldest, snowiest weeks in January, the Nanoose Community Services (NCS) team had to deal with a dramatic increase in the number of clients it supports. Due to a halt in seasonal work in the area, calls to NCS escalated and volunteers scrambled to keep up.
Here are some of those emergencies:
- An abused woman whose partner was arrested and charged was left without shelter when her trailer was removed by a friend of the partner. NCS, along with Haven House and St Mary’s Church, provided her with overnight accommodation, clothing and food and with transportation to the bus station and a ticket to a Kelowna support facility;
- Seeking to obtain new eye glasses for a NCS client who is in desperate need of them;
- Assisting a client with necessary car repairs;
- Facilitating some emergency dentistry for a client in collaboration with local dentist, Dr. Justin Holder;
- Continuing to assist a young family that does not have the means to meet expenses due to illness and a subsequent accident;
- Investigating ways to support a client with her education so she can achieve her career goals.