With the weather getting colder, there’s chilling news for Bancroft. The town doesn’t have a “warming centre” set up this winter.
Hastings County announced this on Tuesday, Dec. 13, saying that an “exhaustive search effort” to find a suitable location has been “unsuccessful.”
Many municipalities offer up public buildings, such as libraries or arenas, as warming centres at the coldest times of year, meaning people are free to stay inside there for several hours if they just need a place to stay warm.
Hastings County is responsible for providing social services. It says people who are in an emergency homeless situation should call local community or human services office at 613-332-3410 or 1-866-569-1941. After-Hours emergency services are available by calling 1-877-528-9514.
Those services include accommodations, transportation to available services and outreach service referral.
Hastings County says that, should a viable location be found later, the county will commit to financing it.