Kingston, Ontario will close the temporary Adelaide Street Shelter at month’s end-part of a planned transition following the recent opening of the new Sydenham Road shelter and two supportive housing sites.
The closure coincides with the province’s decision to eliminate funding for Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS), a move that local officials say could strain the city’s shelter system despite efforts to maintain existing resources.
Jayne Hartley, Kingston’s director of housing and social services, emphasized that the 24 emergency beds at the Integrated Care Hub-which also housed CTS operations-will remain open and supported.
Dr. Henry Swoboda, an emergency medicine and addictions specialist, warned the provincial shift toward a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub model omits life-saving CTS care.
The future of the Adelaide Street site at 38 Cowdy St. will be reviewed later this year, with potential plans to expand the adjacent park or redevelop part of the property for residential use.