The city’s emergency shelter, The Inn, has a new executive director who arrived with an extensive housing background.
Brian Elliot formerly was the executive director of Habitat for Humanity Heartland Ontario.
myFM asked Elliot why he chose to come to St. Thomas to work with the homeless.
Elliot stresses the importance of working with community partners to end homelessness in St. Thomas and Elgin.
He adds spent with Habitat for Humanity was all about helping families succeed.
Elliot says in its first year of operation, The Inn has achieved success through working with community partners.
He touches on some of those success stories, in conjunction with Indwell, a Christian-based charity that has built supportive housing for more than 700 individuals in London, Woodstock, Simcoe and Hamilton.
With the onset of colder temperatures, Elliot advises The Inn is consistently operating at its 40-bed capacity with plans to make more space available.
Although he was not part of the decision-making process, an obvious question for Elliot has to be is the city’s emergency shelter in the right location?
He responds with where is the best spot for a shelter?
The downtown location has been a bone of contention with merchants and shoppers since the shelter opened in January.
What does Elliot wish to accomplish in the coming year?
Board president, Margaret Barrie adds, “Brian’s connection to our community and his commitment to bringing people together to address complex issues will profoundly strengthen and advance our vision.”
Written by Ian McCallum
