Cambridge shelter’s healthcare facility needs a home

A shelter in Cambridge, focused on helping people heal and recover, is at risk of shutting down. CTV’s Jeff Pickel reports.

The Cambridge Shelter Corporation is at risk of losing a healthcare facility serving the Region of Waterloo’s homeless population.

According to the Cambridge Shelter Corporation, the operators of The Bridges Shelter, during COVID-19 they were tasked with managing an isolation site for the unhoused population.

The facility is currently located at 650 Concession Road in the former Kinsmen Childcare Centre.

With the lease soon expiring, The Cambridge Shelter Corporation said they need help to keep the service in operation.

“This building we are currently in is owned by the Region of Waterloo,” Wayne Paddick, CEO of The Cambridge Shelter Corporation, said. “Regional council has passed the motion - they are turning this into a new EMS hub for the Region, which is very much needed.”

In August of last year, regional councillors approved a plan to redevelop the property into a new paramedic station. Construction could be finished by 2027 and would cost approximately $12.6 million.

However, the decision leaves the healthcare facility facing an uncertain future, even though the region is still funding staffing and operations.

“Now we are in a position where, by the fall, we need to move this program elsewhere. It comes down to a funding issue,” said Paddick, explaining the organization is still on the hook for the cost of rent.

Paddick said facilities like the one that had been running out of the former Kinsmen Childcare Centre can ultimately save the region money by reducing healthcare costs. He said without those services, people in the shelter system can end up back at the hospital when they can’t find a suitable place to recover.

“By having this, it alleviates some of the financial strain on emergency services,” Paddick said.

Paddick points to data provided by homelesshub.ca that said the average cost of a hospital admission for a person who is homeless is $2,559. The cost of a night at the Kinsmen Centre is $130.

“I hate to use the term savings, but it’s a huge benefit to have a facility like this in our community because it frees up emergency department space,” Paddick said.

The Cambridge Shelter Corporation is asking for donations from the community and looking for larger corporate donation opportunities.

“If there are any organizations or companies that wants to, for example, throw their name on the program, we’re selling the rights to that,” said Paddick.