YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo to offer all-week overnight shelter this winter
After five Out of the Cold overnight shelter locations announced their closures over the last two months, the YWCA of Kitchener-Waterloo is stepping in to offer daily overnight shelter from November to May this winter.
Questions were being asked about the viability of the Out of the Cold overnight shelter program, which now can only guarantee three nights of shelter as a result of the withdrawals, down from seven nights last year.
"All of the shelters were quite concerned and wanted to do something," said Elizabeth Clarke, CEO of YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo. "We happened to have a large multi-purpose room that seemed to be ideal and so we offered it."
The YWCA program will be funded by the Region of Waterloo. Clarke said that the funding agreement has not been finalized, but that funds will go toward staffing and any food or supplies needed.
Our hope is that this is the only year we need to do it.- Elizabeth Clarke, CEO of YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo
There will be 50 beds available from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. every night, but unlike current Out of the Cold locations, the shelter will not provide guests a meal. Instead, they will be encouraged to go to Ray of Hope or St. John’s Kitchen for dinner.
The YWCA will also host outreach workers, in hopes guests will be connected with permanent housing or formal shelters. Clarke said the YWCA is working with volunteers from Out of the Cold programs that have closed, who already have relationships with the guests.
"Our hope is that this is the only year we need to do it. We are hoping over the course of the year, we will either be able to link people to permanent housing…or we’ll be able to provide them services within the formal system," said Clarke.
"We’ve had several meetings now with the volunteers from the Out of the Cold sites that have closed…we’re going to be relying on them to make the referrals to us, to actually make the introduction, and in some cases to actually accompany the guests over to our facility and stay..."
Elizabeth Clarke, CEO of YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo
Supt. Kevin Thaler of the Waterloo Regional Police Service has said increasing crystal meth use was straining the ability of volunteers to deal with clients at Out of the Cold. Former program coordinators have said that volunteers were often put in dangerous situations.
Clarke said the YWCA’s overnight program will be supervised by staff members who have education and experience in serving people who have issues like substance use.
"This is not a population that’s unfamiliar to them. So that isn’t as much as much of a concern for us as it’s been for the volunteers, because that is work that we’re already doing," said Clarke.