Hamilton opens emergency warming centre as extreme cold sets in, other spaces already full

As Hamilton braces for extreme cold this weekend, drop-in spaces and emergency shelters are expecting a surge in demand from people with nowhere else to go. 

Both of the warming spaces run by St. Matthew’s House were full on Friday “as expected,” said executive director Renée Wetselaar.

That includes the 35 spots for men that opened in December at St. Paul’s Coach House. 

The non-profit social service provider has expanded its hours Saturday and Sunday at St. Paul's and its Cathedral Cafe, which has room for 50 people, to ensure there's somewhere for their clients to find warmth 24 hours a day, Wetselaar said.

St. Paul's will open early at 9 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday, as part of expanded hours. Cathedral Cafe will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.

"I have to commend our staff for stepping up," she said. "They're all pulling overtime hours but they're also very committed to keeping people inside."

The YWCA’s Carole Anne’s Place can fit 35 women overnight, and will accept up to 45 this weekend given the extreme weather, said Chelsea Kirby, vice president of strategic initiatives and program development. 

They won’t turn anyone away, though, instead finding a spot for them at other drop-ins or shelters, Kirby said. However, that’s becoming increasingly “tricky” as programs across the city are similarly full. 

“It’s a really tough time for people,” she said. 

Some without housing will remain outside, said Kirby, and others may go back to unsafe living situations, such as with an abusive partner. 

City opening Bennetto Community Centre on Saturday

The city said Friday there will also be five more beds at Mary's Place, an emergency shelter for women and 20 more spaces at the Good Shepherd's Cathedral emergency shelter for men.

Housing director Michelle Baird told CBC Hamilton that as of overnight Thursday, the city's men's shelter was 98 per cent full, its women's shelter was 94 per cent full and its shelters for both women and men were 83 per cent full.

On Saturday, after cold temperatures had set in, the city said it was also activating an emergency warming centre that would operate around the clock at Bennetto Community Centre.

The centre, at 450 Hughson St. N., would open as a warming centre starting from 7 p.m. Saturday night, "until such time that a decision has been made to de-activate," the city said in a press release.

Central Library to close on Sundays

In the winter months, the city offers its recreation centres and public libraries as warming spaces during business hours.

Among the busiest spots for people to find relief from the cold is the Central Library on York Boulevard, said Paul Takala, the city’s chief librarian. 

But in recent weeks there’s been an increasing number of people buying, selling and using drugs outside the library’s front entrance and inside, he told CBC Hamilton. People have “passed out” in the children’s section, for example, which is deterring families from going to Central. 

The library is therefore taking the “emergency measure” of closing the downtown branch on Sundays beginning in February, as there’s not enough staff working that day to manage the situation, Takala said. It will also open an hour later on weekdays and Saturday at 9 a.m.

The vast majority of people who use the library and may struggle with addiction or experience mental health problems are not “disturbing the peace,” Takala said. 

The problem is the strength of the drugs some are consuming.

“People get pretty whacked out and they’re just not in a position to know that their behaviour is really disturbing other people,” he said. 

He acknowledged Central was one of the few branches in Hamilton open on Sundays for people to warm up in, but sees no other option for the time being. 

The library is working to reconfigure some sections, “securing” the washrooms better and working with police, who’ve increased their presence in the area, Takala said. He hopes these measures will help address the situation.