Unique community partnership to increase shelter hours for next 18 months
(Kenora, Nov. 12, 2024) – As of Nov. 18, the Kenora Emergency Shelter will be extending its hours to be open from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. to better ensure the safety and well-being of unhoused and underhoused individuals in the community.
This expansion of operating hours will continue over the next 18 months, with an end date of March 31, 2026, thanks to a unique community funding partnership between Kenora District Services Board (KDSB), All Nations Health Partners and Sunset Country Family Health Team. This funding will allow shelter operator Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Kenora to ensure continuous client support. The Clinical Service Hub will continue to operate 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Alongside All Nations Health Partners and Sunset Country Family Health Team, the Kenora District Services Board is happy to see the extension of operating hours at the Kenora Emergency Shelter come to fruition starting Nov. 18,” said KDSB chief administrative officer Henry Wall. “Closing service gaps for our region’s most vulnerable individuals was a priority for all partners involved in the shelter. We’re appreciative of CMHA Kenora’s tact and care in its management of this facility, and believe these extended hours will make clients and our community as a whole healthier and safer.”
“We’re thankful to our community partners for their commitment to funding extended hours at the emergency shelter in the interest of supporting unhoused and underhoused, vulnerable individuals facing mental health, addictions and general health issues in our community,” said CMHA Kenora CEO Sara Dias. “By increasing access to the shelter for more hours each day, clients will have the security of a safe, warm place to stay, which, over time, will support their efforts to get well and stay well.”
Operated by CMHA Kenora, the Kenora Emergency Shelter is 46-bed shelter facility that provides unhoused and underhoused individuals living in Kenora with warm, safe, overnight accommodations; snacks, warm beverages and toiletries; and connections to mental health, addictions, employment and housing supports. Effective Nov. 18, the shelter will be available 16 hours per day, seven days a week. Combined with already-existing community service providers at the Clinical Service Hub, this will effectively provide 24-hour shelter programming within the community.
