New overnight warming centre will open Monday in Sudbury

A new overnight warming centre will open Monday on Energy Court in Sudbury.

The centre is located in the trailer that was the home of the supervised consumption site that closed earlier this year. The city is funding the centre and it's being operated by the charity, the Go-Give Project.

The trailer has been renovated and will open Monday evening to help keep people warm overnight. The hours will be 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

"We have a lot of sitting space, unfortunately no sleeping space. There have been a lot of questions surrounding that, but we will be offering coffee, tea (and) light snacks," said Evie Ali, Go-Give executive director.

"We will have naloxone on hand for distribution. If they are coming in for first aid with minor wounds, things like that, then we will have trained staff that can address that."

The centre is surrounded by more than 20 tents, one of 42 encampments across the city where more than 200 people live outdoors.

Ali Farooq, Go-Give's programs manager, said the warming centre fills a need for the city's vulnerable.

"We have gotten some feedback from our friends and they are all excited," Farooq said.

"They are looking forward to it and they are happy that there is a space that provides warmth as well as washrooms. That has been a very high demand and ask."

Randal Sutherland, 42, has been homeless for more than a year. Sutherland plans to set up a tent at Energy Court now that the warming centre will open. (Alana Everson/CTV News)

Randal Sutherland, 42, has been homeless for more than a year. Sutherland plans to set up a tent at Energy Court now that the warming centre will open.

"Stay warm during the cold nights and washroom facilities and people to talk to – it's social also, right?" he said.

"Gets a little bit lonely in the winter in the cold in your tent."

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Officials with Go-Give said 17 staff are taking part in training this week, including support staff and security guards.

"The warming centre will always come with its natural challenges," Ali said.

"A large number of the population are affected by substance use disorders, mental health issues, things like that, so just making sure that our staff are trained in crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, as well as overdose response, is really, really important to the success of our warming centre."

The city is funding the overnight warming centre until April 30 at a cost of just more than $500,000, which was approved by council in mid-October.