A grassroots movement has officially launched its campaign to get a 24/7 safe space for Winnipeg’s West End.
The Spence Neighbourhood Association handed out free coffee and muffins Wednesday morning at the corner of Ellice Avenue and Maryland Street to kick-start the GoFundMe page for West End 24/7.
The goal is to open a secure place for youth to come to at any time.
It started as an idea after Tina Fontaine went missing from the West End in August of last year.
"It's essential,” said SNA Executive Director Jamil Mahmood. “We have kids who are not safe at night and they are choosing to go to unsafe places, ‘cause they have nowhere to go, and they're putting themselves at risk. So our most vulnerable in our community are not safe at night."
The goal for the GoFundMe campaign is to raise $25,000, but it's expected the safe space will cost close to $190,000 per year to operate.
