With five churches having pulled out of Waterloo Region’s emergency shelter program, other community agencies are stepping up in their place.
But their doing so, they say, doesn’t mean homelessness is a settled issue in the region.
“People need a home, not a mattress on a church floor or on our floor,” says Harry Whyte, CEO of Ray of Hope.
Ray of Hope is preparing for a busier than normal winter due to the loss of five churches from the Out of the Cold program.
With churches only being used as shelters three nights a week, Whyte expects that the usual winter drop in attendance at Ray of Hope meal programs won’t take place.
“There may be more demands, but I think we’re prepared for that,” he says.
During warmer weather, Ray of Hope typically serves about 200 meals each night.
When Out of the Cold starts running, Whyte says, that number drops by 70 to 80, as some choose to attend the church programs instead.
In addition to Ray of Hope’s busier mealtimes, the YWCA is working with regional officials to provide an overnight shelter.
“They will put together a shelter for us that mirrors, somewhat, the Out of the Cold system – a large room with 50 cots in it,” says Douglas Bartholomew-Saunders, the region’s commissioner of social services, who calls both efforts part of a “short-term plan” to address homelessness through the coming winter.
Past that, both Bartholomew-Saunders and Whyte agree that a more long-term outlook is needed to focus on moving the homeless population into permanent, stable homes.
“The community recognizes it, and is prepared to step forward and move us in a different direction,” Whyte says.
