Warming centre opens its doors
- Connor Luczka
- Dec 18
- 3 min read
CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The long-awaited warming centre, hosted within the Stratford Connection Centre, has opened its doors, offering a warm respite during this already frigid winter.
Catherine Hardman, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Huron Perth, told the Times a day before opening (which was Dec. 17) that it is an achievement that rests upon the hard work of many different people and organizations – CMHA, the City of Stratford, United Way Perth-Huron, St. Paul’s Anglican Church (which is hosting the warming centre) and the Stratford Council of Churches, to name a few.
In the run-up to opening, the response has been strong, and organizers are eager to see how many will utilize the service.
“People are anxious for it to open,” Hardman said. “… Certainly, participants that come to the Connection Centre were kind of wondering why (we) can’t open right away … There's some anticipation of it starting, and we know that people will be (using it).”
Above all, Hardman said the warming centre is a gap solution as the City of Stratford and related entities put their funds toward supportive housing – permanent housing with social service support wrapped around it, to make sure once housed, an individual stays housed. Like many leading the city’s response to the housing epidemic, Hardman said it is the real solution the city should be striving for.
Currently, the city uses an emergency accommodations program, which provides hotel and motel rooms for the unhoused, in place of a traditional brick-and-mortar shelter. The new warming centre would be an additional resource for the unhoused, as well as another option for those who cannot use or don’t feel comfortable using the emergency accommodations program. As Hardman explained, in some cases the program is not suitable due to accommodations not being open to housing certain individuals due to “circumstances,” so the new warming centre can be a huge asset for a few in the community.
Like the Connection Centre, which will continue to operate during the day, there will be behaviour expectations for those using the service, mainly to make sure the space is a safe environment for everyone.
One notable distinction is that the warming centre is not a shelter, with the main difference being a lack of beds. Hardman explained that with the addition of sleeping arrangements, a project like this one wouldn’t be feasible, as the insurance and liability demands would be too costly.
The warming centre was unanimously approved in a special city council meeting on Oct. 20, after first being brought up by city officials during a public debate on a shelter in September. According to the report presented during the special meeting, it is expected to cost the city, which is footing the bill, $350,000.
The idea for the warming centre came from a discussion between Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma and Trevor Biehn, pastor at Jubilee Stratford and a member of the Stratford Council of Churches. As Biehn said, the initiative was envisioned as “Not One More Night” and was intended to leverage community partners as part of a “made-in-Stratford” solution.
To that end, Ritsma said that there is still more to do before that made-in-Stratford solution is seen: supportive housing.
“Homelessness isn't ‘just not having a roof over your head’ (problem),” Ritsma said. “It’s us having enough supports that can address mental health and addiction.”
Speaking with the Times a day before the warming centre opened, Ritsma said that the Council of Churches is hoping to fundraise $154,000 for operational costs. So far, the United Way has pitched in $10,000 – as has an anonymous citizen.
Located at 9 Douro St., the Connection Centre is open noon to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and the warming centre will run seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Doors will be open, no matter the weather.