No free beds means this Sudbury shelter has to turn away hundreds of people every month

Cedar Place, a women's shelter operated by the Salvation Army in Sudbury, says it's been operating at full capacity all year as more and more people knock on the door. 

Back in 2019, CBC reported that Cedar Place was turning away about 150 people per year due to a lack of available shelter beds. Now, the charity has had to turn down more than 300 requests for shelter this September alone. 

Cedar Place has 28 beds for women and their families. During last year's budget deliberations, it secured an additional $300,000 per year in municipal funds to expand its capacities. 

Still, executive director Barbara Ridley says demand far outweighs supply. 

"Last year, we were at a 98 per cent occupancy rate. This year we're at 100 per cent," she said. 

She says the number of people being redirected elsewhere is a record for Cedar Place, and that demand has surged as winter approaches. 

"It is not uncommon for us to bring in a family of two or three that have been living in their car and functioning that way. 

"As it gets colder, they become more concerned about finding shelter," she said. 

Increasing number of newcomers, asylum seekers

The organization has also begun to keep track of where people are coming from in an attempt to understand this surging demand. 

"We've made the decision to start identifying newcomers with refugee [or asylum seeker] status," said Ridley. 

She says she's concerned about their ability to find housing in Greater Sudbury, which currently has a historically low vacancy rate. 

Most of all, she's concerned about them being referred to Cedar Place for help. 

"What worries me is: how are they getting here? Who is giving them our name?" 

She worries that bad information about what social services are available in Sudbury is pushing people to do the trip, only to find the resources they were hoping for aren't there. 

For now, the City of Greater Sudbury has been running a program to temporarily house asylum seekers and their families in hotels. 

A spokesperson for the City tells CBC in an email that eight families have been supported since May 2024.