Mat Siscoe says the difference with the Riordon site is it's open 24/7
The Mayor of St. Catharines is hearing positive feedback concerning a temporary homeless shelter recently opened on Riordon Street.
Mat Siscoe is hearing from the staff, people who use the shelter, but also the surrounding community.
He adds it's a 24 hour service, contrary to previous shelters only open at night. "I was a volunteer at an overnight shelter, for 8 years, and over the course of time we saw the way the issues people were dealing with when staying in the shelter were getting worse and worse and worse, and really going beyond what any volunteer could deal with."
He adds Welland is looking into it.
"But let's start the process of identifying a site, and preparing to maybe acquire another one of these.... because if they're serving the issue, and dealing with the homelessness issue the way we want to, then we need to have more services available."
The mayor admits the problem is getting worse, but hopes these sites will help.
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