Renovations at River City Vineyard are moving ahead thanks to a substantial grant from the Sarnia-Lambton United Way.
Late last year, the homeless shelter announced plans to expand to meet growing demand in the community.
Pastor George Esser said the Mitton Street facility is getting $92,000 through the federal Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) that is administered by the United Way.
"So $25,000 is going for pods for the women's shelter," said Esser. "We will be making our own bed pods, which is like its own living area for women. The rest of it is going to renovating washrooms and the men's shelter expansion."
Esser said they're looking to add a total of 40 beds or pods, including another 25 for men.
Pending building permit approvals from the city, it's hoped construction will begin in the coming weeks.
"Winter will come before we know it just like summer came before we knew it," he said. "It's going to be a lot of work to get it ready for when it starts getting cold again. But, it's really important because there's a lot of women that just don't have a place to go. A lot of guys don't have a place to go either because they had the motel program going for COVID, but that's kind of ending now. So, there's going to be a need for a lot more men but especially women too."
The homeless shelter does not currently have women's facilities.
Esser said it's expected the total expansion and renovation will cost around $300,000 and also includes HVAC upgrades and a new roof.