Overnight warming centre opening in Cambridge

Wesley United Church at 6 Cambridge Street in Cambridge is seen in this undated image. The church will be the site of a new overnight warming centre from Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services and the Region of Waterloo. (Tyler Kelaher/CTV News)

An overnight warming centre will be opening in Cambridge on Saturday.

It will be running out of Wesley United Church at 6 Cambridge Street from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. every night for the rest of the winter and into the spring.

According to a news release from Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services, the organization that will be operating the site, the centre will initially serve female-identifying and gender-diverse people, but they are open to change as other community services become available.

“We were really hoping to see the YWCA’s shelter for women open simultaneously, to close that service gap in the community,” Cameron Dearlove, Porchlight’s executive director, said in the release. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t been possible. Without any shelter beds for women in the community, Porchlight and the region decided to pivot this facility to serve female-identifying and gender diverse individuals. Once the YWCA’s shelter is open, we’ll reassess what makes the most sense within the community.”

In an email to CTV News, the YWCA said they are “very close to opening” and are just waiting on some renovation work and final inspections to wrap up. Once they receive an occupancy certificate, they hope to open their doors in 2 to 3 days.

Meanwhile the centre at Wesley United Church will have space for 30 people per night.

Porchlight and the Region of Waterloo worked together to open the site as part of the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.

“Work to open this centre has progressed extremely quickly,” Dearlove said. “This is outside Porchlight’s usual area of work, but when we experienced a cold snap in early January and learned that no other organizations had stepped forward with the capacity for a centre this winter, we knew we had to act. An incredible team from the region, Porchlight, and elsewhere has come together and been working hard to get this needed space open as quickly as possible.”

Porchlight is accepting donations for the new centre and looking for volunteers who can help make sandwiches and other simple meals.

Donations can be made at Porchlight’s office (1315 Bishop St. N. Suite 203) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Mon-Thu, and 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Friday or before noon at Wesley United Church (6 Cambridge St.). Organizations able to help prepare food can contact Centre Coordinator Julie at [e-mail].