The City of Peterborough overflow shelter bed program is relocating to 175 Murray St., the Murray Street Baptist Church, effective Tuesday.
The Peterborough Social Services’ program had been operating from its temporary location at the Peterborough Public Library since the Warming Room homeless shelter closed on July 1, 2019, after its lease was not renewed at the church.
The result saw dozens of displaced people put up tents on public property, most notably Victoria Park, during the summer. It prompted the city and county to implement new bylaws banning camping in public parks.
The new overflow shelter bed program will operate from 9:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. daily.
The city says there are 30 beds available at the overflow shelter program in addition to the 40 beds at Brock Mission, 30 beds at the YES Shelter for Youth and Families and 10 beds at Cameron House for a total of 110 beds in the shelter system.
The shelters are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week with access to showers, laundry and other services.
The overflow shelter bed program is an option for when a person is not able to get a bed at one of the main shelters, the city said.
The city says social services staff are at the overflow shelter program each morning to help connect people with available services and to talk about housing plans.
Last year, social services and community partner agencies helped with 275 shifts from homelessness into housing.
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