As the region continues to deal the latest blast of arctic air, the Salvation Army Windsor Centre of Hope has expanded its warming centre hours to offer the city's vulnerable population a safe and warm place to take shelter in.
The warming centre located at 355 Church Street, offers hot meals, blankets, and other necessities to those seeking refuge.
Executive Director Jason Linton says originally the program only ran overnight.
"We've been able to expand this a little bit, with the help of the city who provided some additional funds," he said. "We've been able to now open this warming centre for 24 hours, seven days a week until the end of March."
He says the centre is currently seeing their usage numbers increase.
"We're able to accomodate about 12 to 15 people at any given time within the warming centre, and that rotates throughout the day and night as people come and go," Linton said. "On average we're seeing about 30 to 40 persons use the warming centre in a 24 period."
Linton commended the city for taking action to fund warming centres across Windsor.
"There really shouldn't be anyone out on the streets unless they're choosing to be out there," he said. "In addition, we've been able to increase our bed capacity. Typcially we're a 32 bed emergency shelter, but we've been able to increase that capacity by 20, so we're now at 52, and all of that is a result of some additional funding that the city has put into the services that we provide."
The Salvation Army is also calling on the community for support by donating supplies such as blankets, warm clothing, and hygiene kits.
Donations can be dropped off at 355 Church Street.
For more details on the warming centre, including hours of operation and volunteer opportunities, visit www.salvationarmywindsor.ca or call 519-253-7473.
-With files from AM800's The Shift with guest host Kristen Siapas