Old Brewery Mission expanding services, café to stay open 24/7

Starting this week, the Old Brewery Mission's cafe will stay open 24 hours a day.

Within the homeless community, Cafe Mission is a lifeline when other shelters are full.

"[The café's] problem has been that it's only been open 18 hours a day and in the homeless community, sometimes exactly when you've closed is when the facility is needed," said James Hughes, CEO of Old Brewery Mission.

The cafe will now stay open 24/7. In a couple of weeks, it will also be open around the clock on weekends.

The added hours are courtesy of a private donation.

"Fifty-five people coming and going all the time, almost always full at any time, day or night," Hughes said.

Dominic Bombardier, who works at the cafe, says he thinks having a 24-hour service will be helpful for all seasons, not only during winter but also during the summer heatwaves.

"I think this will make a difference in Ville-Marie," he said.

Last year, clients visited the cafe nearly 70,000 times, with more than 150 visits daily in December.