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
BREAKING | 3 people stabbed at Halifax-area high school; 1 person in custody
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.

W5 Investigates | How did a healthy teen die at a minor hockey camp?
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
Conservatives forcing MPs to vote on striking new foreign interference study
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent end run around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has forced the House to spend the day debating a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Amazon cuts 9,000 more jobs, bringing 2023 total to 27,000
Amazon plans to eliminate 9,000 more jobs in the next few weeks, CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo to staff on Monday.
Donald Trump's call for protests gets muted reaction by supporters
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
opinion | Biden's Canada visit is long overdue, expert says
Questions abound as to why U.S. President Biden is only now making the visit to Canada, more than two years into his presidency.
Nordstrom Canada to begin liquidation Tuesday after receiving court's permission
The liquidation sales at Nordstrom stores across Canada will begin Tuesday.
LIVE @ 11:30 A.M. | 6 still missing after Old Montreal fire; Mayor to address media
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Canada's among central banks try to calm markets after UBS deal to buy Credit Suisse
Some of the world's largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal.