The Hope Centre in Welland is expanding to help more homeless families and residents in the city.
The centre has announced it will be increasing capacity at its emergency shelter next month in order to accommodate a greater number of families and individuals needing housing.
This past winter, The Hope Centre, in partnership with the City of Welland, operated a temporary seasonal shelter 3 evenings per week.
However, a recent shelter capacity review conducted by The Niagara Region determined that a move away from the seasonal shelter model and an increase in capacity at existing shelters would provide better support.
The shelter will be expanding from 18 rooms to 26 rooms, for both family and individual clients, until the end of April.
‘We are seeing an increase in demand for shelter spaces as Welland families and individuals continue to experience challenges existing in the system due to shortages of affordable housing and increased housing costs. We are pleased that we are able to increase capacity, though we must add that we are disheartened that it is needed. Our community needs more affordable and supportive housing.”, commented Jon Braithwaite, CEO of The Hope Centre.
“We are grateful to the Niagara Region for providing this funding to help us respond to and support our community.”