THUNDER BAY – Urban Abbey’s south-side warming centre has plenty of room for unhoused individuals in need.
The warming centre, located on the corner of Simpson Street and Victoria Avenue, is a low-barrier, mixed-gender facility with 20 available beds.
The Urban Abbey on Red River Road also has 20 beds, but that facility is only for female occupants.
Scotland Morrison, chairman of the board of Urban Abbey, said that both locations have yet to hit capacity since opening up their door this year.
Urban Abbey’s women’s shelter sees around 14 to 16 women. The southside location has seen as many as eight people.
“One of the important messages that we want to get out, particularly to people who are facing the cold with not a lot of options, is that there is capacity,” Morrison said.
With eight people using the shelter Monday night, he expects to see more people as the weather gets colder.
“We anticipate eight will turn into 12, will turn into 14, 15, that kind of thing. So, we anticipate the numbers to rise and then they level off as everyone finds their new normal as the snow hits and how they're dealing with the cold weather,” Morrison said.
The Urban Abbey is part of a coalition group of shelters in the city. Other partners include the Salvation Army, Grace Place, Shelter House, Elizabeth Fry, and the hospital.
Morrison said the Urban Abbey locations act as an overflow for places that have hit capacity and need somewhere to stay the night.
“We will do our best to help. Almost every single time we are able to help people and they're able to crash here and get the help they need and services they need so they require it. So, that's getting to appointments they need to or getting to detox in the middle of the night or moving into other essential spaces,” said Morrison.
However, he stated that Urban Abbey accepts walk-in visitors and those individuals become part of their coalition’s intake process.
“We've never turned anybody away. We don't have to. There's lots of room, lots of space. You don't necessarily have to shelter in place. There are warm spaces for you,” Morrison said.
The Urban Abbey received $80,000 from the Thunder Bay District Social Service Administration Board to help double their number of beds.
Morrison said they are managing to keep their operating cost low to manage staffing and some renovations.
Both shelters will be running until March 31, 2025.
