City extends Out of the Cold shelter program

Given the cold temperatures, the City of Greater Sudbury has extended the Out of the Cold shelter program until April 15.

The Out of the Cold Shelter program has been successful this winter in providing a safe place to sleep for persons who are homeless and disengaged from regular shelter programs, a press release said. The program will be run by Red Cross staff for the two-week extension period.

The city made the move after demands by the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty to keep the shelter open longer because of the cold early spring weather. The shelter was supposed to close March 31.

“I am very pleased that we are able to continue to provide this service during this prolonged period of cold weather,” said Mayor Brian Bigger, in a press release.

“I want to thank the Salvation Army for all their work this winter with the Out of the Cold program, and I also want to thank the Red Cross, and our other community partners for their continued dedication to our community’s most vulnerable.”

The Out of the Cold shelter program provides an additional 30 cots to the existing 64 regular emergency shelter beds that are available for men, women, children and youth within the City of Greater Sudbury. The program provided cots to an average of 19 persons per night in March, with additional persons utilizing the service as a drop-in.

The Out of the Cold Program will operate from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days per week until April 15. The City is continuing to work with community partners to coordinate and enhance programs for vulnerable persons in the community.