The Victorious Living Centre in Owen Sound has been given a reprieve.
City council has accepted a payment plan that will keep the downtown homeless shelter open.
The shelter is in tax arrears of about 20 thousand dollars — and if Council had not accepted the deal — the shelter would likely have been sold later this month.
A previous offer by the VLC was not accepted by the city but council has agreed to a plan that will see the arrears paid off at a rate of a thousand dollars per month for 12 months, with the balance due within 30 days of the last monthly payment.
Owen Sound Financial Services Director Wayne Ritchie says it’s common for owners of properties in tax arrears to make arrangements like this to pay the arrears.
But these arrangements will be a struggle for the shelter, which has had trouble meeting its regular expenses.
Pastor Randy Kennedy says the water was going to be turned off a few months ago for non-payment but an 11th-hour deal was made to keep the taps on.
Kennedy isn’t happy that things have gotten to this point.
He’s upset that the shelter receives no funding from any level of government despite the fact that it provides a valuable service to the community.
