A look at the changes coming to Sudbury's shelter system

The shelter system in Sudbury will go through a transition period over the next year, according to the city's coordinator of shelters and homelessness programs.

Last Friday, the city's only shelter for men, operated by the Salvation Army, closed its doors due to financial concerns. The L'Association des jeunes de la rue also announced it will no longer operate a youth shelter.

On Monday night, an update was provided to Sudbury city councillors. Gail Spencer, the city's coordinator of shelters and homelessness programs, says the city is working with the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury-Manitoulin to create a temporary men's shelter.

It will open in June. Spencer admits there is a gap in the available services until that temporary shelter opens in June.

"However, we do have a lot of supports in place for men and everybody experiencing homelessness," she said.

"There was a lot of work done within the community service providers to make sure that the men who were staying were connected to supports and services to help them find permanent housing options."

That temporary shelter will close once the Off the Street Shelter opens in the fall. The shelter currently opens each winter, but the city says from now on, it will open year round.

Spencer says the city is also currently looking for a new group to operate a youth shelter. The current shelter for youth is operated by L'Association des jeunes de la rue.

"They've decided that they'd like to evolve out of the shelter business and focus on homelessness prevention," Spencer said.

She says the goal is to have no gaps in services for people in the community.

"Over the next year as we transition through these changes in our shelter system, we will have low-barrier focused shelters available for all age groups and genders within our community."