Temporary drop-in shelter opens

KITCHENER — The temporary winter overnight shelter in a downtown Kitchener church was ready to welcome its first guests on Thursday night.

“We are very prepared,” said Christine Stevanus, project director for housing services at the House of Friendship.

The House of Friendship will operate the centre at St. Matthews Lutheran Church with $85,000 in funding from the Region of Waterloo, after the initiative was approved by council in early January.

“We created a really creative option in partnership with the region and shelters across the region,” Stevanus said. “We feel good about it.” The temporary site is intended to handle overflow from emergency shelters this winter.

There’s room to accommodate up to 70 adults, with a designated area for those who wish to get some sleep.

People will first go through the shelter intake process, and support workers will get a list of the people they can expect to show up when the doors open at 11 p.m.

Stevanus said on Thursday afternoon that they weren’t sure how many people to expect, but shelters have been busy recently.

“We do anticipate some people in the space for sure,” Stevanus said.

The initiative emerged after demand for emergency shelter locally spiked during the bitter cold temperatures earlier this winter, which meant people were staying in motels.

That becomes a costly option for the region when shelters are over capacity for an extended period, and motels are a distance from shelters where meals and other support are offered.

The temporary site will be open until the end of April from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. with three support workers hired by the House of Friendship on duty every night.