Published December 2022
Our King Street shelter welcomes 70+ people a night. We have now been operating out of this new emergency shelter at 1668 King Street East for almost two months now. We are renting the space from Stephen Litt of Vive and Woodhouse Properties who plan to start construction on two rental apartment towers in June of 2024.
This shelter is part of the Region of Waterloo’s plan to address growing homelessness. Each night when we open the doors there are over 70 people who are waiting to come in to get a warm meal, access washrooms, a cot in a shared space, and a place of welcome and rest. We fill up quickly and there easily 20 others who gather outside, who wait for a bed to become available as some people sleep for a while and then leave, who come in to warm up as they wait for a bed to become available.
The work of this Emergency Shelter, as basic as it is, is very important. Many come into the shelter and go right to sleep, some nights there is music, the mood is often governed by the weather. This work is appreciated because the people doing the work are constantly working to create a place of welcome and respect that people feel when they come to the space.
“They have a heart bigger than what I can make panhandling, but their decisions are life changing… How do they feel when they go home?”
“Here we are a person, not an addiction or a mental health issue. That’s why we come here – you care.”
This is a work of love and hospitality each night. A small gesture of support and solidarity in the face of the high numbers of people looking for housing.
