Alliston shelter gets a makeover

When they upgraded from a one-room house to a four-storey farmhouse in May, they were thrilled with the extra space.

All it needed was a fresh coat of paint.

In steps the paint company, Behr, celebrating its 75-year anniversary with a nearly $7,500 grant and a handful of volunteers to actually paint the new digs in downtown Alliston.

The folks at S.H.I.F.T. or the Support and Hope for Individuals and Families Today shelter were excited to see their space revitalized.

"We are very honoured to have been selected," said Jenifer Pergentile, executive director of S.H.I.F.T. "The Behr team is here today with our S.H.I.F.T. team – painting front and back porches and painting our offices to make it more welcome and inviting."

S.H.I.F.T.'s emergency overnight shelter program houses about 10 people per night during the winter months, Pergentile said.

Its Daytime Drop-In offers people a place to warm up, shower, use the internet, and access housing-related and harm-reduction support.

"S.H.I.F.T. serves all of South Simcoe and it's a large geographical area with really poor transportation, so we have a mobile support team – doing outreach – throughout South Simcoe all year round," she said.

As the day progressed, a large mural painted by a local artist – as part of the Behr initiative – began to decorate the wall.

"We often feel like a very small fish in a very big pond – much bigger cities like Halifax, Vancouver and Chambly, PQ centres were selected. To have been selected as one of the four chosen this year to get the grant – we're very honoured," she said.