Region approves lease for drop-in hub for people who are homeless in Cambridge

The region has approved renting space in downtown Galt to a group working to support people who are homeless.

The hub at 150 Main Street, which is a region-owned building, has seen the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and area (ACCKWA) offer a number of different services to individuals who are unhoused.

Ruth Cameron, executive director of ACCKWA, saidthe "groundbreaking" model of service also brings in other service providers to offer people access to basic needs.

Currently, the services offered at the site include food security programs, the housing list and help to access emergency shelter, primary health care and harm reduction supplies including naloxone. It operates Monday to Friday for three hours in the afternoon.

The new two-year lease with the region will allow the hub to have stability and grow to include more services.

Jenn Boyd, manager of harm reduction programs for ACCKWA, said that in the past eight months, she's seen the drop-in program make "an extremely positive impact on our community."

New faces show hidden needs

Cameron told regional councillors during a committee meeting Tuesday that the drop-in sees about 70 people a day in winter, and between 30 to 40 on days when the weather is nicer.

Amy Wells is ACCKWA's manager of multi-agency community space and said the drop-in has been a welcome addition to the core.

"We've never had such centralized services in Cambridge before for such a diverse population and it's really starting to show in some of the clientele that we're seeing," she told councillors.

Wells said in the last week, there were four people who came in that staff had never met before.

The new facesincluded a person who hadbeen sleeping rough in an encampment and who was far removed from the community while another person said they had just been kicked out of their home, they lost everything and they didn't know what to do next.

She said they've also heard from people who are couch surfing and don't have a permanent or stable place to stay.

"It's a variety of things that we're seeing and it's just showing how hidden some of the need is," Wells said.

Hub meets strategic goals of region

The report to regional council recommended renting the space at 150 Main Street in Cambridge to ACCKWA for two years at a price of $1 per year. It noted doing so met the region's strategic plan to have healthy, safe and inclusive communities.

The cost to the region is estimated to be $14,000 annually for things like cleaning, security and garbage disposal with the money coming from the housing budget. Any costs to renovate the space would be taken care of by ACCKWA and other service providers using the space.

The report was passed unanimously. The decision is expected to be ratified by council during its meeting on May 19.