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A couple sits together on a couch in the Hub warming centre.
Sarah and JR are glad they were able to stay together and stay warm overnight at The Hub. The new program provides a safe place for people who are discharged from the hospital in Hamilton without a home.
January 27, 2025

Partnership creates warming space for individuals experiencing homelessness

During the winter months, hospital staff and physicians often struggle to find warm and safe places for individuals experiencing homelessness after they are discharged from hospital.

That’s why Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, The Hamilton Hub (The Hub) and the Greater Hamilton Health Network have launched a new partnership to fund dedicated overnight drop-in spaces.

“This initiative reflects the power of collaboration and our shared commitment to supporting the most vulnerable members of our community,” says Anissa Hilborn, CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation. “We’re proud to stand alongside our community partners to ensure everyone has a warm place to go this winter.”

The pilot partnership, which launched just before Christmas, has already helped more than 100 individuals referred by Hamilton’s hospitals.

“Our teams always grapple with discharging patients who are homeless,” says Dr. Alim Pardhan, chief of emergency medicine at HHS. “This dedicated space is a critical support to meet their immediate needs for a warm shelter while also making it possible to connect them with other assistance in the community.”

A vital lifeline for unhoused community

An exterior photo of the Hub shows a low brick building with a long wheelchair ramp to the front door.

The new overnight warming centre, based at The Hub on Vine Street, is open seven days a week from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. regardless of the temperature. It is a low-barrier facility, and the only service in Hamilton offering a warm-up spot that includes spaces for couples and non-binary individuals. In addition to hospital referrals, The Hub also welcomes walk-ins.

“This new pilot partnership is a vital lifeline to our unhoused community, who are already facing so many challenges,” said Jen Bonner, executive director of The Hub. “These new overnight warming spaces will help ensure some of our most vulnerable individuals won’t be left out in the cold this winter.”

A group of eleven people in the Hub. They are students who staff the overnight program.

Students help the program to run while gaining experience serving clients experiencing homelessness.

The Hub’s overnight warming centre is staffed by trained outreach workers and students in health-care programs such as nursing, medicine and policing. The Hub offers a unique opportunity for these students to gain essential experience and skills to bring to their future careers.

“This program is a testament to partners mobilizing quickly to offer warmth and care when it’s needed the most through these colder months. With the support of partners and a shared commitment to serving those who have relied on emergency care, the overnight warming center stands as a symbol of compassion that will be lifesaving,” said Melissa McCallum, executive director of the Greater Hamilton Health Network.

Read CBC Hamilton’s coverage