More overnight warming spaces will be available at St. John's Kitchen starting Monday
Decision was made in response to the colder temperatures, harsher conditions this winter
More warming spaces will become available for people experiencing homelessness in downtown Kitchener as St. John's Kitchen will be open overnight starting Monday.
The decision was in direct response to the colder temperatures and harsher conditions this winter, which highlighted a need to have more warming spaces available.
"We just know there's so many individuals that come to St. John's Kitchen each day and they don't have a place to go and we've made the organizational changes so that we can be open in the evening as well in this new space," Joe Mancini, a co-founder of The Working Centre told CBC News.
Mancini said the facility will be open from 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. every night until the end of March.
St. John's Kitchen opened its new facility on 97 Victoria St., in September, which now has a medical centre, a community kitchen that can serve up to 500 people daily and 44 new living spaces.
Mancini said St. John's Kitchen won't have beds for people overnight, but rather it will act as a site to stay warm.
"This space is totally designed so that we can do that and that's a real, important thing that our community has built this beautiful space and now we can open it at night in the way that we thought we could," he said.
As colder temperatures grip much of southern Ontario this weekend, Mancini said the facility is full.
"I'm looking out there right now and I can see every table is full, but there's people all around, some people sleeping on the floor or finding a spot to be on the floor because they don't want to go outside," he said.
Other warming centres and overnight spaces
Day time warming centres are located across Waterloo region, including the townships, and include facilities like city halls, libraries and community centres.
A list of warming centres can be found on the region's website.
"The Region of Waterloo itself, our main building on Frederick Street and at 150 Main Street are open during the day, seven days a week from Dec. 1 to the end of March 31," Peter Sweeney, commissioner of community services told CBC News.
The Region of Waterloo also has two overnight warming centres in Kitchener and Cambridge with up to 70 spaces available for people between the two facilities that run until the end of March.
The Kitchener location, operated by Thresholds Homes and Supports, is at 298 Lawrence Ave. and runs from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Eric Philip, CEO of Thresholds, told CBC News the need is high this winter as more people line up outside the building hours before it opens.
"People know that we suddenly reach beyond our capacity and there's a sense of urgency, where they want to get to that warm space so they don't have to spend the night outside, especially when temperatures get like this," Philip said.
The building has the capacity to have up to 40 people overnight, he said. When it gets full, staff work to get people a warm place by calling other shelters or the overnight warming centre in Cambridge.
The location in Cambridge is run by Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services in the lower level of Wesley United Church on 6 Cambridge St. and is open between 8:30 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Sweeney said it has been a particularly challenging winter and the region works with its partners "to respond as needed in the moment."
Guelph City Hall open overnight this weekend
The City of Guelph is also providing more warming spaces this weekend. A spokesperson for the city said city hall will be opened overnight to help people get out of the cold.
"Currently, city hall is open continuously from now until Sunday Jan. 25 at 9 a.m.," the spokesperson said in an email.
Other warming centres are listed on their website.
Royal City Mission will also open a daytime drop-in space in downtown Guelph on Tuesday to serve people who are experiencing homelessness.
The site will be open six days a week from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.