Out of the Cold loses another location
Posted Aug 13, 2014 04:57:56 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A second Out of the Cold location has announced it will no longer be a part of the program.
After 15 years, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waterloo has opted out of the program due to safety concerns.
According to the church, volunteers were having to deal with an increasing number of guests with mental-health and addiction issues.
Regional officials and the City of Kitchener are working with Out of the Cold to address these concerns. Meanwhile, Dennis Watson, Steering Committee facilitator for Out of the Cold, says it’s important to know that the issues of a few people are not a reflection of everyone they serve.
“What the world needs to understand is, we’re not talking about an entire population that we serve that come to us in that state,” says Watson. “I keep thinking that the public may be sensing that everybody who comes in has these drug and alcohol addictions, and they’re all prone to violence. No.”
Last year, Ray of Hope in downtown Kitchener also announced it would not continue with the program.
Fellow steering committee member Cathie Stewart Savage says the overnight program was never meant as a long-term solution in the first place, and it’s time for an affordable housing approach.
“What I would like to see is the Region actively targeting the most vulnerable people — the ones that are coming to Out of the Cold — to try and get them housed into some type of permanent, supportive housing,” says Stewart Savage.
According to the Out of the Cold website, seven locations are still operating throughout the week.
