House of Friendship to temporarily close its Kitchener emergency shelter, executive director says

House of Friendship — a Waterloo Region-based nonprofit organization — will be temporarily closing its Kitchener emergency shelter for approximately 100 men, executive director John Neufeld said.

It's the first such closure in the 82-year history of the organization, which — according to its website — provides food, housing, addiction treatment and neighbourhood support to individuals and families.

"During COVID, the silver lining was that all of a sudden we were able to add the necessary capacity and respond to the true numbers in the community. But everything was temporary right, it was all, you know, one-year leases or six-month leases through emergency funding," Neufield told CBC K-W's The Morning Edition. 

"… all those kinds of avenues are closing and our numbers are skyrocketing. We don't don't have enough permanent locations to serve the needs of our community, and so that's how we got here." 

House of Friendship has been searching for a new, permanent shelter space since February, after a fire forced them out of the hotel they were using.

There were 130 men staying at the Inn of Waterloo until a fire — estimated to have caused $1 million in damage — displaced them. Most of the men were moved to a temporary location in Guelph.

Neufield said the organization has identified a location and is in the process of working with government funders to solidify an agreement.

But he said "finding a location for a population that is unwell and unwanted, it is incredibly difficult." 

"We've worked tirelessly with our partners, government funders. Since February, we've been looking for a location, have tried multiple avenues and most times the door gets closed on you because of who we serve. Other times there's complications with the location due to neighbourhoods, due to zoning," he said. 

The announcement of the closure comes the same week when it was revealed that there are 1,085 people who are homeless in Waterloo region.

A point-in-time count conducted in September found that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Waterloo region is up from 333 in 2018.

The increase is explained in part by the growing number of people in the region who are unsheltered, and in part by changes to the count itself. 

Men 'devastated' at news of closure

Neufield said the men were "devastated" to learn about the closure.

"It's devastating for them, it's devastating for the individuals. So, we're working very carefully with the region, with our community partners to ensure that we do have a place for them in the interim," he said.

He said the closure also means that several individuals would be laid off.

"My heart goes to tell these dedicated folks who would do anything for the gentlemen and anyone experiencing homelessness," Neufield said.

"To look at them yesterday and say, 'you're going to be temporarily laid off,' and you know, not one of their reactions was about them. It immediately went to, 'how is this going to impact [them], where are these guys going to go?' 

"We need to do better for the individuals in this field. Since 2017, not only have the numbers gone up, but the complexity of the issues that we're dealing with … I mean, our team has moved three times in a year. We need to have something more permanent where we can have a better way of doing it."

Neufield said they are hopeful that the closure would only last for a few months. 

"We are very committed to this. We want to see the great individuals that have dedicated themselves to this work and do this tirelessly, that they come back, that we don't lose all their experience," he said. 

"In an ideal world, we would be up and running again at a permanent, stable location, a dignified environment I would say sometime in February." 

Meanwhile, Chris McEvoy, manager of housing policy and homelessness prevention for Waterloo region, said housing staff continue to work with House of Friendship and local shelter providers to find permanent housing or secure spaces within the shelter system.

In an email to CBC News, McEvoy said this includes transportation from Guelph for the 75 men currently supported by the House of Friendship.