New overnight warming centre opens for women, gender-diverse people in Cambridge

Women and gender-diverse people who need a warm place to stay for the rest of winter can now go to the new overnight warming centre in Cambridge.

The new facility is located inside Wesley United Church at 6 Cambridge Street, and is run by Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services, a non-profit agency based in Cambridge.

The centre opens officially on Feb. 1 and will have 30 beds available every day from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The agency plans to keep the centre open only for women and gender-diverse people until more options open up for vulnerable groups experiencing homelessness in the city. Advocates have been calling on the regional government help open more women's shelters, adding the "scarcity forces women into dangerous and untenable situations, further exacerbating their vulnerability and suffering."

In a press release, Cameron Dearlove, Porchlight's executive director, says they are waiting for a women's shelter to open up at the YWCA before reevaluating community needs and potentially opening their doors for all people experiencing homelessness.

"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," he said in the release.

"Once the YWCA's shelter is open, we'll reassess what makes the most sense within the community."

The agency is now hoping to receive donations for the new centre. They also need help from people or groups to prepare simple meals for the people visiting the shelter.

Not enough beds for everyone

A point-in-time count done in October 2024 found more than 2,300 people in the community are homeless — a number that has doubled in three years.

Peter Sweeney, the commissioner of community services at the Region of Waterloo, says they know there aren't enough beds to help everyone.

"We are in a situation where we have more people who are homeless than we have supports for, which is why we see a rise in encampments in the last number of years," he said.

"Until we have the proper amount of affordable and transitional housing, we are going to struggle with homelessness in this community for a long time."

Regan Sunshine Brusse is a housing advocate and a member of the Unsheltered Campaign, which is a collection of advocates in Waterloo region with a shared focus on the rights of people experiencing homelessness.

She says more warm spaces are needed across the region.

"We need options in our townships in Waterloo [region], the City of Waterloo and in Cambridge, where people can go during the nighttime hours to access relief," she said.

Earlier this month, the region opened an overnight warming centre at 298 Lawrence Ave. in Kitchener. The region opened it in partnership Thresholds Supports, a non-profit mental health and housing provider.

It's the only other overnight winter warming centre currently open in Waterloo region.