SAULT STE. MARIE — A Chippewa, Luce, Mackinac Community Action Agency fundraiser on Tuesday, July 8 will help support community members struggling to find a place to call home.
The Brat Fundraiser, in partnership with Soo Brewing Company, will benefit the agency’s housing programs. The fundraiser will include food sales of brats, sides and other delicious delicacies.
The agency (CLMCAA) hopes to be able to support people in all three of its counties with the raised funds.
“The need for homeless services has increased, and around this time of year we start running out of money for our vouchers and we won’t get more until October,” said Joe Nolan, executive director of CLMCAA. “Although it is summer, it’s still 55 degrees out there and rainy and we still have clients that are homeless.”
All proceeds will go directly towards CLMCAA programs to provide food, support and other essential services to homeless individuals and families in the EUP region.
The agency receives funding through grants each year to support people in need of a place to stay by giving them vouchers for a few days at a local hotel. Between October 2024 and March 2025, the agency spent more than $50,000 paying for more than 600 nights in motel rooms for families and individuals.
The agency is working to build homeless shelters in the area, and there are also tribal shelters available. Officials said, however, that most people who unexpectedly lose their homes are still forced to rely on the voucher system. The cost of the vouchers continue to rise and the agency can only allow for people to use the vouchers for a short period of time.
Last year, 123 brats were sold at the fundraiser, which translates to about 30 days of shelter for a person. This year, the goal is to sell 125 or more.
Brats cost $8. The event starts at 5 p.m. on July 8 at Soo Brewing Company in downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
For more information about the Brat Fundraiser or to donate, contact CLMCAA at 906-632-3363 or visit their Facebook page.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Community action agency fundraiser to help support homeless, housing programs
Reporting by Brendan Wiesner, Sault Ste. Marie News / The Sault News
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