Huron County's Out of the Cold emergency shelter will reopen for the coming season on November 15 under the management of Choices for Change.
The shelter will continue to be located at the Lakeshore United Church in Goderich. Since 2020, the Out of the Cold emergency shelter has been funded and managed by the County of Huron, and operated with multiple partners.
“Choices for Change has been a partner with the county of Huron for the past two years to deliver the Housing Stability and Outreach Services, which is a component of the Emergency Shelter and this year the county put out a proposal and Choices for Change put one through and we were the successful tender,” said Choices for Change Director of Housing and Congregate Care Elise Metcalf.
The County of Huron will continue to contribute funding and provide support for the shelter, while Choices for Change will manage the shelter’s day-to-day operations.
“This is going to be a real opportunity for us to deliver some more comprehensive services, given what Choices for Change has under our current umbrella and we are in the midst of an integration with Resilience Huron Perth, so we are really going to be able to support the navigation of individuals through their journey,” said Metcalf.
Metcalf says she believes they'll be able to link homeless people up with a wide range of programs to meet their needs. She adds, that's something they've been doing for the past few years, but having their under one roof will really make a difference in people's lives.
The Heart to Home Stability team, which is also part of the shelter team, is also committed to ongoing work to support those who have been housed and those still working towards their housing goals. This team operates from a Housing First perspective and are an important resource in the County’s Coordinated Access Program. The team collaborates with agency partners across the County to help people access housing.