Kitchener homeless shelter set to close at end of March

One of Waterloo Region’s only low barrier homeless shelters will close its doors on March 31, as the lease on the building expires.

Operated by The Working Center, the emergency shelter at 1668 King St. E. first opened in September 2022 in the former Schwaben Club building. The location was hotly debated, being directly across the street from Eastwood Collegiate, in the middle of a largely residential neighbourhood.

While admittedley, there were a few issues in the first year of the shelter, it has been largely trouble free since then.

Joe Mancini, Director, The Working Center was a guest on The Mike Farwell Show and said his staff is devastated that they have to close a place where people actually look after each other.

“When you walk into the shelter, 100 people have been living communally in the Schwaben Club. We’re talking couples, pets, individuals and individuals with addiction and mental health issues,” he said. “You feel the love because the individuals are being cared for. They’re looking after each other. They’re living cooperatively together. It’s a pretty unique place.”

Mancini says his staff have been working to try to find space at other shelters for the 100 people staying at King Street, but he admits, the choices are limited.

“We know half of those individuals will be going to the streets, they are being given tents,” Mancini said he recognizes that isn’t a solution but reality outweighs policy.

“We think there are at least 50 people who don’t have an option (for other shelter space). The policy is not to offer people a tent. The reality is, where are they going to go?”