Just ahead of an emergency Cobourg council meeting called today (Friday, Dec. 12) where delving into sleeping in the county’s warming room is anticipated to be a focus, Northumberland County has issued a statement saying the county and town are working together to ensure the safety and wellbeing of warming room visitors.
In this statement – which includes both the county and town logos – it delves into this year’s temporary overnight winter warming room set at 555 Courthouse Rd. in Cobourg. It’s been open for about two weeks, serving on average 15 people nightly. More than 50 people have reportedly accessed the service so far.
The statement goes on to read that Northumberland County and the Town of Cobourg continue to work closely together to ensure the safety and well-being of visitors who rely on this space.
It also details that the room – located in committee room A at county headquarters – being in a government building isn’t designed to include sleeping accommodations. Officials go on to say that provincial and local regulations, such as building code, fire code and zoning impact how the room can be used.
“For this reason, the room is not set up for sleeping, but instead for rest, with tables and chairs available,” reads the release. “While visitors are no longer required to remain awake, staff do conduct regular wellness checks that can be disruptive to continuous sleep.”
Officials then go to state that for meaningful rest in designated sleeping facilities, individuals are encouraged to access shelter services at 310 Division St.
“Our priority, in hosting the warming room, is to offer a safe space where people can seek respite from the cold, ensuring the health, safety, and dignity of residents facing the harsh realities of homelessness,” said Warden Brian Ostrander, in the release. “While the warming room is necessarily set up as a drop-in warming space, we know how essential uninterrupted sleep is for physical and mental well-being (and) staff encourage visitors seeking this type of service to check availability at the 310 Division Street shelter.”
The warming room opened as of Nov. 27 and operates nightly from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. through to March 31. As previously reported, this is a temporary location this year after the first-floor hub shuttered its doors at 310 Division earlier this year amid a shift to a higher-barrier model.
According to the county, the space provides a warm, safe, indoor location for individuals experiencing homelessness, with access to washrooms, seating, and light refreshments.
Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland is also quoted in the release: “Our approach has always been ensuring that the warming room operates safely, responsibly, and in the best interests of the people who depend on it, as well as the surrounding community.”
More information on county warming room and shelter services is accessible online.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, the Town of Cobourg has called an emergency meeting for today starting at 4 p.m. for the purposes of meeting in closed session, the agenda states.
On the agenda, it states council will meet in closed session for advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege. However, the agenda also includes a notice of motion from Cleveland around a request for support to allow people to sleep in the warming room.
The motion reads: “That the Town of Cobourg supports the County of Northumberland in allowing individuals to sleep who are attending the operated Northumberland County warming room located at 555 Courthouse Rd. Board room during the overnight hours to offer services to persons built on dignity, compassion and care, if that is the wish of the Northumberland County Council.”
Cobourg’s agenda also includes correspondence from several residents.
