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Inn and Out of the Cold Opens Its Doors

The Inn and Out of the Cold program officially launches for the season today.

WOODSTOCK - The Inn and Out of the Cold program offered by Operation Sharing will open their doors for the winter on Tuesday. 

Homeless people in Woodstock are invited to stay at the shelter which is open from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. every day during the winter at St. Paul's Anglican Church. Coordinator Paul Arsenault tells Heart FM it is not just homeless people from Woodstock who use the shelter. 

"We get some transients, people who are coming from other cities heading to other cities such as London and Kitchener, we help people that have substance abuse issues, just the impoverished in general." 

Last year they averaged about 7 guests a night. Arsenault says everyone who stays at the shelter is given some coffee and a hot meal and they try to make everyone feel comfortable. 

"I try to look at the shelter as treating it as my basement and it's winter and the weather is too bad for people to drive home, make people feel invited, we have a bite to eat, watch some TV, and then they have a place to crash." 

Arsenault says a lot of organizations help in making the shelter a reality for those less fortunate in our community.

"Social Services of Oxford County provides us with funding to run the Inn and Out of the Cold program, Operation Sharing is the host of the this program, and Old St. Paul's Anglican Church has graciously allowed us to use the church basement for this program for the past 13 years." 

Arsenault says they also rely on donations from the public and local businesses to help provide the guests with things like meals and coffee. 

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