Temporary shelter expected to open soon
KITCHENER — The temporary winter overnight drop-in centre is expected to open in a downtown Kitchener church early next month.
“We are in the home stretch of the planning stages,” said Christine Stevanus, project director for housing services at the House of Friendship.
The House of Friendship will operate the drop-in centre at St. Matthews Lutheran Church with $85,000 in funding from the Region of Waterloo.
When the drop-in centre was approved at a regional committee meeting on Jan. 9, the staff report said it would begin operating the following week on Jan. 15.
Stevanus said that’s when the church said the space was available, but several pieces needed to be in place before the drop-in centre could open, including hiring and training front-line staff, and ensuring all safety equipment in the space was in proper working order.
“Our hope is that all of the pieces will be in place for us to start at the beginning of February,” Stevanus said.
The proposal came together very quickly and since then the House of Friendship and regional staff have been working closely together to get everything ready.
“This is a creative partnership with the region. We’ve been working really hard together to meet a need in the community,” Stevanus said.
The site is intended to handle emergency shelter overflow during the cold winter months until April 30, accommodating up to 70 adults. Every night, it will be open from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.
During the recent cold snap, demand for emergency shelter increased along with the need for hotel rooms to deal with the overflow. That gets to be a costly option for the region when
shelters are over capacity for an extended period; also, motels are a distance from shelters where meals and other support are offered.
House of Friendship is in the process of hiring six support workers to staff the drop-in centre, with three on duty every night. A manager from the House of Friendship will oversee the centre’s operations.
“We wanted people who were well equipped to work in the space,” Stevanus said.
The agency also is looking for volunteers to help out at the drop-in centre, and is working with its connections in the community to get commitments to provide food and coffee one night a week.
Staying in a hotel is “isolating,” and Stevanus said the drop-in centre will create a space where support workers can sit with people and start conversations.
The drop-in centre will be in one big area in the church, offering a warm space for people to sleep or not sleep depending on what they want. There will be a designated area for those who wish to rest on provided mats.