King Street Emergency Shelter

This project supports the Region of Waterloo's Strategic Plan Growing with Care:

In response to the urgent needs in the community, a new emergency shelter for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness is operating at 1668 King Street East, Kitchener. It provides support for all gender identities, couples, and those with pets.

Operated by The Working Centre, the King Street Shelter provides urgently needed services. The shelter operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as part of the Region of Waterloo’s Interim Housing Solutions strategy.

If you have questions or would like the opportunity to provide feedback, please reach out to us by:

• Submitting a question in the Q and A section below
• Emailing interimhousingsolutions@regionofwaterloo.ca
• Calling 519-575-4400, ext. 5008

Background

The shelter opened on September 29, 2022 and replaced the shelter previously operating at 104 Stirling Avenue South, Kitchener in the former Edith MacIntosh Child Care Centre.

The King Street Shelter is one part of the Region’s new Interim Housing Solutions strategy (www.engagewr.ca/interim-housing-solutions) approved by Region of Waterloo Council on August 18, 2022. The strategy addresses the challenging and complex issue of unsheltered homelessness using four key tools:

• Expanding the Transitional Housing Program;
• Expanding the Home-Based Support Program;
• Expanding the Emergency Shelter Program; and
• Permitting a temporary managed Hybrid Shelter/Outdoor Model.

With the identification of the King Street site, consideration was made to activate the site quickly to provide an urgent response, proximity to public transportation, availability of support services and viability from a service provider perspective.

We estimate that there are about 1,000 people currently experiencing homelessness across the region, including about 450 people experiencing homelessness for long periods of time (chronic homelessness).