A local man with more than five decades of experience in providing aid to those in need is determined to help bring a homeless shelter to Wallaceburg.
Don Wells, a 76-year-old cancer survivor, has been in contact with members of the clergy in Wallaceburg and hopes to have a facility available this winter to accommodate 10-15 people.
Wells, one of the founders of the Inn of the Good Shepherd and the River City Vineyard in Sarnia, said there is a need for the facility in Wallaceburg.
“I was trying to get a homeless shelter started in Chatham and Wallaceburg in 2014, but local officials didn’t want to listen,” he said. “First, they said there weren’t any homeless people, and then they said the homeless were invisible, whatever that meant.”
“The problem has always been around. No one recognized it because no one wanted to, and look at the mess we have today. If we could have done things right throughout the years, we might not have this mess everywhere today.”
Wells said getting local clergy behind the idea is essential.
“I’ve spoken to several, but this issue needs everyone behind it, acting as one body of Christ. Churches are a place of sanctuary to serve – as the Bible says, ‘the least of these.’ Wasn’t Jesus the least of these?”
Tentatively named “The Inn of the Tired Shepherd,” Wells said the facility would offer overnight accommodation, only with no drugs, alcohol or weapons allowed.
“They must come in clean, and if they aren’t, we will try to get them to drug- and addiction-recovery places.”
The facility Wells envisions would have two volunteers per shift, and those using the building would have to remain inside from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Wells said River City in Sarnia is donating bed frames and he is in the process of procuring mattresses.
“I have 65 volunteer staff members,” he said. “We need a location that will not be in a residential location.”
Wells said operating a shelter isn’t the solution to homelessness, but it is a first step.
“Most of these people lack life skills and education. Kids have been pushed along to the next grade for years. I know people who have a Grade 12 diploma but aren’t literate. Drug, alcohol and mental health issues exist, but 95 per cent of these are beautiful, good people who need to learn basic skills. Most of these people don’t want to deal with authority figures. They listen to people who have been on the street.”
Wells said he “graduated” from Brentwood Recovery Home nearly 40 years ago.
“Brentwood and faith in Jesus turned my life around. I’ve been part of helping probably 4,000 homeless people in my life, and I think we’ve saved 2,500,” he said. “That’s why I went back to school for drug and alcohol addiction counselling. I know what it’s like to have nothing and need help.”
Wells raised thousands of dollars for charities through his “Journeys of Hope” more than a decade ago and is planning another fundraiser next summer if his bladder cancer remains in remission.
“I want to take a scooter from Walpole Island to the House of Parliament in Ottawa to raise money for children’s charities,” he said.
He is the recipient of honours from Governor General David Johnston, congratulations from astronaut Chris Hadfield and scores of citations from mayors and MPPs across southwestern Ontario.
“If someone is thanking me for doing something, it means they’re aware of the causes I support,” he said.
