A new overnight shelter will soon open its doors in Kitchener, after the YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo made announcements for a temporary program during the winter months, starting in November.
Organizers and volunteers say the new shelter will help bridge a major gap in services for the region, offering cots, hot coffee and sandwiches to the homeless.
“We'll be able to bring people into the system in a very gentle and supportive way, and link them to the services and agencies that are out there,” said Elizabeth Clarke, CEO at the YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo.
The announcement comes after 5 churches pulled out of the Out of the Cold program.
“We will be serving single men, women and trans individuals,” she said.
Clarke said that the program will only run for one winter but that it was “something that we will be reviewing at the end of the period.”
It will run seven days a week, and accommodate about 50 people according to Clarke.
At one of the few remaining Out of the Cold locations, Cathie Stewart with First United Church said that she is thrilled with the new YWCA program, “knowing that they're talking about housing the people who use Out of the Cold is very exciting.”
