Sandy Hill drop-in centre warns against 'rushed' winter move

The Center 454 drop-in has been in the basement of St. Albans Church on King Edward Avenue for decades. The space offers hot meals, laundry services, and a safe place for people to hang out. But its leaders say they were told by the City of Ottawa last fall that they have to be out of the church and out of Rideau-Vanier Ward by the end of this January. And that timing? That doesn't work for them. We are about to move into winter. The city's working very hard to create warming spaces for the extreme weather we're about to experience in Ottawa. And, you know, we're suggesting closing Centre 454 in mid-winter when we're seeking alternate warming spaces for those in need. The rational decision would be to extend the timeline. Belong Ottawa says it's been asking the city for an extension for a while now. The group is now asking people to write their city councillors and ask them to push for more breathing room. It's not just the winter weather. It's already a difficult time for vulnerable people, they say. Since the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre closed their consumption treatment site, there's increased traffic in the area, there's increased need. We've seen since mid-June three times the amount of garbage on the streets that we pick up hourly around the centre. So there's a lot of need in the area, a lot of social services In that area, support those who are experiencing homelessness. Now, the city is under some pressure here. Some local residents previously urged it to cut off 454's funding, blaming the drop-in center for sowing fear and chaos in their neighborhood. But some other residents CBC spoke to today are more mixed. There's a lot of homeless people that are always standing near that area for a reason, of course. So I guess that kind of gave a feeling to a lot of people of unsafety around that area. But at the same time, you feel bad for those people and you hope that they would get more care and get helped in a better way. Doing this transition in the middle of the winter is not, I don't know, I find that a bit callous, if I'm being honest. In a statement sent to CBC News today, the city says that once Belong Ottawa completes a review of potential new locations, the city will be in a position to consider any request for a reprieve past January. Officials added that their plan for this winter will ensure there's enough room in the shelter system to support anyone who may need help. Guy Kenville, CBC News, Ottawa.