The public is being invited to have a seat and learn more about homelessness issues in Windsor. The Downtown Mission of Windsor will be hosting its annual Bench Talk and 24-Hour Sleep Out beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 5, and running until 11 a.m. on Friday, November 6, outside the mission at 875 Ouellette Avenue. The 24-hour awareness and fundraising event brings together community leaders, advocates, stakeholders, and residents for conversations surrounding homelessness, affordable housing, food insecurity, mental health, addiction, and poverty in Windsor-Essex. Executive Director of the Downtown Mission Ruksini Ponniah-Goulin says this year they’re going to have some healthcare professionals join them for the Bench Talk. “That’s a very important aspect that so many people don’t know or fully understand-the health care work that is needed to support people who are either struggling with addictions or experiencing mental health issues or things like that,” she says. Ponniah-Goulin says they’re also aiming to raise $50,000 to support what they do, which includes their shelter service, Windsor Youth Centre, or their meal program. “Currently we’re serving around 400 meals per day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner-three meals a day to those who are homeless-but we also provide our lunch to our community members, so people who have homes in the area but need a little extra help,” she says. Ponniah-Goulin says there will be something new this year, a candlelight vigil between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday night. “That is going to be a vigil for our community members to pay tribute to and remember those we have lost. Whether it be drugs or health, whatever the case may be. We’re inviting the community to come and remember those loved ones we’ve unfortunately lost,” she says. Guided tours of the Mission’s facilities also take place throughout the event.
