The City of Stratford said its first overnight warming centre will open on Wednesday. The Connections Centre on Duoro Street has extended its hours, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., to offer a safe space for people living rough. “It is meant for people who have literally nowhere else to go,” explained Catherine Hardman with Canadian Mental Health Association Huron Perth. Despite being open throughout the night, Hardman insisted it was not a homeless shelter. “The legislation is different, the insurance requirements are different, that’s why we chose to do a warming center as opposed to an overnight shelter.” The Connection Centre offers outreach services during the day, with a nurse practitioner and legal services on site. Overnight, however, operations will be scaled back. “It is just a place for people to come and get warm and have something to eat and maybe have some interaction with other people,” Hardman said. “We won’t have services, but we will have staff here.” The Connections Centre first opened its doors in 2020 in response to the pandemic, as well as the growing number of people experiencing homelessness. It is operated by staff from CMHA Huron Perth, along with funding from United Way Perth Huron and the Stratford Council of Churches, which launched a $150,000 fundraising campaign to keep the overnight warming shelter operational.
