The City of Peterborough says the Brock Mission emergency shelter and the city’s overflow shelter bed program are moving back to their locations next Wednesday.
The shelter and program were temporarily relocated to the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre in March in the city’s west end when the coronavirus pandemic was declared.
At the time, the city said the downtown facilities at 120 Murray St. and the Murray St. Baptist Church (175 Murray St.) were unable to offer proper physical distancing for its clients.
There will be up to 32 beds at Brock Mission and as many as 17 beds at the overflow shelter bed program when they reopen on July 22.
Construction also continues on the new Brock Mission shelter which last summer received a $5-million commitment from the federal government.
The city notes there have been no coronavirus cases in Peterborough’s homeless shelter system.
“Brock Mission staff have responded quickly, professionally and continue to provide great support to people who require their services through this period,” Mayor Diane Therrien said.
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Among the provisions being transitioned from the centre to both shelter facilities include:
- Dividers between the beds
- Screening upon entry into a shelter as well as daily screening
- Ongoing monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
- Enhanced cleaning measures for high-touch surfaces
The city says there is dedicated space to support self-isolation for anyone experiencing homelessness who requires a COVID-19 test.
“The health and safety of residents, including clients, continues to be the top priority,” Therrien said.
The city says that between April 1 and June 30, social services and community partner agencies helped 105 individuals and families who were either homeless or at risk of homelessness find housing.
On average, the wellness centre was seeing between 40 and 50 clients each night.
Community agencies have worked with the city on rapidly finding housing for people in order to move people from shelter to housing, or prevent people from having to use shelters.
“We will continue to monitor and evaluate the shelter system over the next couple of months,” community services commissioner Sheldon Laidman said. “We’ll report to city council in the fall with an update and recommendations on the homelessness network.”
Brock Mission, YES Shelter for Youth and Families and Cameron House continue to provide service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The overflow shelter bed program is available from 9:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. daily.
To access the shelter network, people need to use the centralized intake, which is open Monday to Friday. You can call 705-748-8830 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or visit Social Services at 178 Charlotte St. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
After hours, during weekends and on holidays, call 705-926-0096.
More to come.