Sudbury to report on more shelter options for homeless

City staff will soon present Sudbury city council with options for how to help the homeless during extremely cold temperatures.

Advocates have been weighing in with their proposals. At the city council meeting Monday night, the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty suggested opening City Hall as a place to sleep.

The pastor at the Elgin Street Mission, Rene Soulliere, says the city has enough beds for the homeless, but many of his clients are not interested in the existing facilities.

"Not everyone wants to use these places for some reason or other. I think there is a need in this city to have more like a hostel, where people can come in, stay overnight, and then leave in the morning, he said.

A lot of people don't want to get plugged into the system. For transients and people on the street who don't want to go into other places, [they need a place] where they can feel safe and just have a place to lay their heads down."

Soulliere said he believes the city should canvas the homeless to find out why they are not comfortable staying in some of the existing facilities, like the Salvation Army.

City staff will present a formal report to the Community Services Committee onFeb. 3that will address the idea of creating a hard reduction shelter, or wet shelter, and the upkeep of warming stations, which are open all night during the winter.