A country church moved into town...

Southridge Shelter has never been a stand-alone organization. It began as, and continues to be, an outreach ministry of Southridge Community Church. With this in mind, the history of Southridge Shelter begins with a move into the city.

By 2003, the expanded facilities on 9th Street could no longer contain the number of people that God was growing, and the church had to make another critical decision about how to deal with the need for additional facility space. More than that, their desire to serve a greater number of people with the love of Christ made them ask some tough questions about whether their rural location was the most effective home base from which to do that. As they evaluated their facility options, they were once again driven by the idea that the church wasn't about them; it was about other people in and around the Niagara Region.

God provided the property at 201 Glenridge and the church was left with the responsibility of how to best use the space to serve the people of Niagara. Shortly after moving, Southridge became a host for the Out of the Cold program; providing a place to stay and a meal on Sunday evenings. As the end of the Out of the Cold season approached, the Region of Niagara entered into discussions about the possibility of a permanent, full time shelter at Southridge. On April 1, 2005 Southridge Shelter opened as a permanent shelter.

... and never looked back.

Today, Southridge Shelter is a 24-7 shelter as well as a 24-7 community of people who are growing together, learning from one another and serving each other and the greater community.