Exclusive – Today’s Northumberland has learned that Transition House on Chapel Street in Cobourg was closed on Sunday, July 24, 2022 due to a staffing shortage.
Executive Director of Transition House, Anne Newman confirmed the news in a e-mail to Today’s Northumberland on Monday.
“Due to a staffing shortage, daytime shelter services were temporarily unavailable at Transition House shelter this past Sunday.”
Newman didn’t state the times, but it’s believe the staffing shortage was from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. when the facility re-opened.
“There were 15 people that were not using the house at that time however most had a place to go for the majority of the day.”
“A contingency plan was implemented, including engaging Cobourg Police Services to provide collaborative, coordinated response, ensuring the safety of community members during the temporary service closure.”
During that time a person suffered a drug overdose across the street from Transition House. A person pounded on the door of Transition House trying to get a Narcan kit, but no one was inside at the time.
Newman said, “there was no disruption to phone-in support services during this period, and shelter services resumed to full operations by the evening hours.”
“The Transition House Board of Directors remains committed to providing essential access to coordinated homelessness support in our community. The Board will continue to assess opportunities to further strengthen these support services to help prevent possible service disruptions moving forward.”