Neighbours raise concerns about hybrid shelter at community meeting
Residents had a chance to ask questions and raise concerns about the hybrid shelter planned for Erbs Road at a community meeting in Waterloo on Thursday night.
The site, on the border of the City of Waterloo and the Township of Wilmot, will host 50 tiny homes, each with heating, air conditioning, a bed, a desk and storage space.
The shelter will be operated by The Working Centre, with staff on site 24-7.
Chris Field, who lives next to the property said he understands the need for more shelter is and is willing to work with the operators, but as a neighbour, he’s also concerned about security and the potential for drug use.
“Honestly having the huts over there, it doesn't affect us, we have a beautiful sight this way,” he told CTV News, gesturing in the other direction. “We can look out and we have bush and all that sort of stuff. It's the inevitables. There is going to be drug use. There is going to be prostitution. There's going to be needles and crack pipes, they're going to throw them through my fence."
The Working Centre director Joe Mancini said when there are issues, having a relationship with neighbours is important.
“It’s about the neighbours talking to us, us talking to the neighbours, us talking to the people living in our community and making sure that everyone is being looked after," Mancini said.
The hybrid shelter was supposed to open early next month, but design delays are pushing the opening date back to mid to late March.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.