Southridge Shelter

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18

Because it is our desire to hold out Christ’s hope on individuals’ journey from crisis to wholeness, the purpose of the Southridge Shelter is to help homeless people become successfully reconnected with themselves, society and God.

Success for the Shelter would be when individuals from the homeless community have a safe place to stay until they can implement a life plan. This plan will then move them forward to become people who are thriving rather than merely surviving. Open 24 hours a day, the shelter provides two daily meals , showers, laundry facilities, a warm bed as well as ongoing support for residents.

In our opinion, ongoing support includes helping each person find a safe, clean place to live, offering opportunities to learn the life skills to live as independently as possible, the relational skills to have meaningful friendships and the job skills to obtain meaningful work and helping people find employment. As well, because we believe that a person is about more than just their physical needs, it is our hope that each individual will experience the love of a caring community through our volunteers and the other residents through compassionate friendship and have a first hand experience of the healing love of God through Christ.

Many times the journey of recovery for our residents leads us down a road working closely in long-term kind of way through our ‘Next Steps Apartments Program’. This program provides an apartment through Southridge along with individual mentoring support and financial trusteeships. Currently there are approximately 25 individuals and their mentors participating together in this intensive program.

Because we are well aware that Recovery Support from crisis and life controlling problems is a journey, we are committed to walk together with people for the long haul. So if you Need Help? or want to Get Involved please do not hesitate to contact us at shelter@southridgechurch.ca or (905) 682-2477. We would love the opportunity to journey with you!