Waterloo Region has announced that Services and Housing in the Province (SHIP) will open a new emergency shelter for men later this month in the YW’s emergency shelter building at 84 Frederick Street in Kitchener, Ont.
The region did not say when the new shelter would open but it is expected to support as many as 50 men and will open for up to a year.
It will initially open as an overnight shelter before it becomes a round-the-clock facility, once operational plans are finalized.
This will be the first entry by SHIP into the area, as it also has operations in Peel Region.
“We are pleased to be working with SHIP as we work to expand our Emergency Shelter program as part of our Interim Housing Solutions strategy,” stated Kelly-Anne Salerno, assistant director of Housing Operations and Administration.
“Housing Services staff are finalizing the operational details and agreements with the YW and SHIP. The goal is to open this emergency shelter location as quickly as possible in response to the urgent need in our community.”
The space at the YW building has been used as a temporary emergency shelter in the past but an agreement between SHIP, the YW and the region will allow it to open for a longer stint.
According to the YW’s website, the building also “provides emergency shelter and basic needs for cis and trans women and non-binary individuals” in a 66-bed shelter.