Canadian Mental Health to run Sudbury's emergency overnight winter shelter; Salvation Army turned down

The City of Greater Sudbury has left The Salvation Army out in the cold when it comes to operating its overnight emergency winter shelter at 200 Larch Street.

The Salvation Army in Sudbury has run the shelter for the city since it first began the program in December 2014. It was called the Out of the Cold shelter, but had to be renamed a low barrier shelter due to another program with the Out of the Cold title. 

This fall, the city issued request for proposals to operate the low barrier shelter. A low barrier shelter allows those who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol to have a place to go during the overnight hours in the winter.

Both the Salvation Army and the Canadian Mental Health Association of Sudbury-Manitoulin put in bids.

The city awarded the contract to the CMHA. The CMHA Sudbury-Manitoulin has never run a shelter before.

Chief Executive Officer, Marion Quigley, says they do have staff who have worked in shelter services before and they have experience operating housing programs.

Quigley says CMHA is currently in the process of hiring six new staff members for the shelter. Once those workers are in place, she hopes the shelter can open by late November.

The overnight emergency shelter will be open nightly from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through until mid April.