Ground-floor services begin Nov. 13 at 310 Division St.
12-11-24 6:50 p.m.
COBOURG
After months of negotiations and discussions, operations at the Northumberland County shelter at 310 Division St. are licensed under Cobourg's Emergency Care Establishment bylaw.
At 6 p.m. Nov. 13 – the day believed to be the closing date of the former Brookside Youth Centre and potentially the end of the year-long homeless encampment there – Northumberland County will finally open the ground-floor warming room of their shelter at 310 Division St., Cobourg.
The announcement refers to “confirmation from the Town of Cobourg at end of day Friday, Nov. 8” that a license was granted for the operation of this facility under its Emergency Care Establishments bylaw. In the interim, county and Transition House staff have made final arrangements for staffing, security and provisions to open the 24/7 space for individuals experiencing homelessness to rest, access washroom and shower facilities, do laundry and get something to eat.
Warden Brian Ostrander called it a milestone in providing modernized shelter services for those experiencing homelessness, and a vital first step towards a modern, multi-purpose shelter that can go further toward meeting community needs.
Our immediate goal is to get individuals in out of the cold,” Ostrander said in the announcement.
“We appreciate the Town of Cobourg's hard work to help us get this facility operational as winter approaches. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with the town, with our clients, partner agencies, and with residents to ensure successful integration of the shelter into the community.”
This opening marks the beginning of shelter services transitioning into this new location, which will eventually include warming and cooling space, emergency shelter spaces, transitional housing units and supportive programming to help individuals on their journey to life stabilization.
Renovation of the 35 emergency shelter spaces on the second and third floors is proceeding well, and on track to open before the end of the year. The top-floor transitional housing units are expected to be occupied early next year. At that time, members of the community will be invited to an open house showcasing the new facility and its services,
For more information, visit Northumberland.ca/ShelterModernization