The Waterloo region says a makeshift overnight shelter will be set up this winter at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener for the homeless.
The new shelter, which opened Sunday in a multipurpose area of the church, will house up to 50 people.
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More than 1,000 people are homeless in the area, says Waterloo region
It arose through a partnership between the San Andrés Presbyterian Church, the Work Center, and the region.
“This is a vital project that offers a seven-day-a-week night shelter that combines staff and volunteers from the community,” said Job Center Director Joe Mancini.
“This cooperative model will expand shelter options during cold winter nights.”
The new facility will have employees from the Job Center with volunteers who will help with food services, cleaning and donation sorting.
The church has called for volunteers to be fully vaccinated. Anyone who wants to help should send an email [email protected].
They are also requesting warm winter clothing and blankets, and pickup and drop-off are arranged via the same email address.
The region says the new shelter is an intermediate step in dealing with a recent increase in long-term homelessness in the area.
The region says the number of homeless people in the region has soared in the past three years to 1,085 in September 2021 from 333 in 2018.
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Reference-globalnews.ca