310 Division Street: Modernizing shelter services to address community need

To help address the urgent local need for housing and shelter services in Northumberland, the County has partnered with Transition House Coalition to open a new facility for modernized shelter services, located at 310 Division Street, Cobourg.

310 Division Street is a 24/7 shelter services hub that offers a variety of supports and resources all in one central location. Northumberland County is the owner of the facility and oversees the delivery of homeless services in Northumberland. Transition House Coalition is the provider of shelter services.

Shelter services offered at 310 Division Street include:

A drop-in 24/7 year-round warming/cooling hub on the 1st floor (now open). This space provides individuals experiencing homelessness with a safe and warm place to rest, access washroom and shower facilities, do laundry, and get something to eat.
35 emergency shelter spaces on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building (now open)
10 transitional housing units on the 4th floor to offer longer-term supportive housing solutions (anticipated to be occupied by early 2025)
Health, wellness and skill-building programming and resources

This new location offers single or double-occupancy shelter rooms and accessible services, providing increased privacy, safety and dignity for community members accessing services. These improvements also help reduce barriers for couples, 2SLGBTQ+ community members, individuals with pets, and people with disabilities – allowing us to better support more community members.

Want to see more? View our video below or view photos of the shelter.

Questions or concerns? Contact us:

For non-emergency security inquiries, along with waste inquiries, related to Northumberland County’s Emergency Care Establishment License (ECE03CN-2024) under the Town of Cobourg by-law, please contact: 1-877-770-2564.
- Please note: In an emergency — please call 911 for police, fire, and paramedic services.
For questions about shelter operations, please contact the Transition House team at: 905-376-9562.
For information about Town of Cobourg by-laws, please visit the Town of Cobourg website or call the Municipal Clerk/Legislative Services Department at: 905-372-4301.

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Community Liaison Committee

Northumberland County has formed a Community Liaison Committee (CLC) to support the successful integration of shelter services at 310 Division Street, Cobourg.

The 310 Division CLC is a volunteer committee of diverse perspectives that will meet approximately once per month for the first year of operation of the new shelter, to share information, discuss ideas, and collectively problem-solve concerns.

Goals of the CLC

Help successfully integrate 310 Division Street into the community.
Ensure ongoing open communication between shelter management and the community to co-create opportunities and solutions.
Improve the community's understanding of the work happening within the shelter, and help shelter leadership, staff and clients ensure strong neighbour relations.

Members include:

Shelter neighbours
Community members
Persons with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity
Faith-based organizations
Cobourg business community
Cobourg Police Services
Town of Cobourg staff
Northumberland County staff
Transition House Shelter staff
Community agencies that work closely with the shelter and its clients

The CLC held its first inaugural meeting on December 17, 2024 to kick off the Committee, welcome new members, and begin their work to provide valuable guidance and feedback as the County and Transition House work to deliver the best possible support to vulnerable community members while ensuring strong neighbour relations.

For more information, view CLC meeting agendas in the 'Community Liaison Committee Meeting Agendas & Minutes' tab. Meeting minutes will be available from the December meeting once the CLC reviews and adopts these at the January meeting (meeting date TBD).

Community members who would like to reach out to the CLC can email ShelterCLC@northumberland.ca.

Project Background

June 2023: Cobourg Retirement Residence announced it would be closing its doors and soon after, 310 Division Street was vacated and listed for sale.
December 4, 2023: Northumberland County announced the purchase of the vacant building for emergency shelter and transitional housing, and entered in an agreement with Transition House Shelter for the relocation of shelter services from 10 Chapel Street, Cobourg, to this one central location.
December 2023 – February 2024:Extensive consultations with the community were undertaken to answer questions, and collect feedback, ideas and concerns from residents, neighbours, and community partners to help positively shape the integration of this hub within the broader community. Consultations included:
1. December 6, 2023: Presentation to County Council
2. January 15, 2024: Door knocking in the immediate neighbourhood
3. January 16, 2024: In-person small group discussions
4. January 25 and 26, 2024: Virtual small group discussions
5. February 6, 2024: Virtual public meeting (View the presentation slides from this meeting)
6. February 12, 2024: In-person Open House with service providers
March 15, 2024: Council welcomes additional funding from the Province to expedite housing and shelter solutions.
March 20, 2024: Community Engagement Report shared with County Council, including an overview of how feedback would be incorporated into plans.
August 28 – September 18, 2024: Community members invited to apply to join the 310 Division Street Community Liaison Committee (CLC).
September 25, 2024: Training session for individuals interested in applying for the CLC to learn about Homelessness in Northumberland.
October - November 2024: Interviews conducted to select participants for the CLC, including a panel of County housing and homelessness staff and a representative of OrgCode, consultant leaders in homelessness system transformations.
November 12, 2024: Northumberland County announced the opening of the ground floor of 310 Division Street - a 24/7 year-round drop-in warming and cooling space.
December 16, 2024: Public walk-through took place, offering community members the opportunity to see the new facility and learn more about the services.
December 17, 2024: Inaugural meeting of the Community Liaison Committee (CLC).
December 19, 2024: Northumberland County announced the opening of the 35 emergency shelter spaces on the 2^nd and 3^rd floor.
Coming soon: Transitional Housing units on the 4^th floor are expected to be available by early 2025.

Read our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more.