A shelter for homeless youth in Brampton should be operational by month’s end.

Peel Region is turning a Queen Street motel property into an interim youth shelter that is expected to be ready for occupancy by Jan. 31.

According to regional officials, the property, that was previously the 7 and 7 Motel on Queen Street, just west of Goreway Drive, doesn’t require much of a makeover to transform the site into a 30-bed emergency shelter.

Council approved the facility name ­– Brampton Queen Street Youth Shelter – at its Jan. 12 meeting.

Some councillors thought the name too cold, but are eager to get the facility open.

Last fall, council agreed to lease the site to provide the much-needed shelter in Brampton, where there is currently no such accommodation specifically designed to serve youth.

The two-year lease agreement includes two options to extend the deal for one year each.

The lease, with utilities, is expected to cost $500,000 annually. The cost of staff and community support services is about $1.1 million a year and program expenses are estimated at $287,000.

Those funds are being provided through the provincial government’s Community Homeless Prevention Initiative.

Council’s desire is to develop a plan for a permanent youth shelter in Brampton.