New emergency shelter opening in Amherst next month

A man sleeps on the pavement in Westminster in London. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

A new emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness is set to open in Amherst, N.S., next month.

The Nova Scotia government is providing $360,000 in funding for the shelter, which will be located at Crossroads Community Church at 155 Church St. and is scheduled to open in early December.

It will offer 20 beds for all genders and operate as an evening and overnight shelter until April 30.

"This funding will help ensure that those experiencing homelessness in Cumberland County have access to a warm place to sleep over the winter," said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables and MLA for Cumberland South, on behalf of Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlane, in a news release Friday.

The non-profit organization Cumberland Homelessness and Housing Support Association, also known as Cornerstone, will provide support services and staffing at the shelter.

Amherst Mayor David Kogon says the new shelter could be a "life-saving measure."

"It is so pleasing to learn that the Department of Community Services is providing financial support to our community shelter," said Kogon.

This news comes just a day after the province announced a new emergency shelter for Dartmouth, N.S.