Homeless advocacy groups prepare for cold snap

Dramatic swings from mild to extremely cold weather can be a shock to anyone’s system, but for homeless people in Regina, finding a warm place to sleep becomes more critical.

Rochelle Berenyi, the communications and advocacy officer at Carmichael Outreach, said there are not a lot of emergency shelter beds available in the city and they often fill up quickly.

“You end up finding people trying to sleep in ATM shelters in the banks there, or in parkade entrances where there’s heat,” she said.

Throughout the winter all of the shelters and organizations in Regina work in partnership through the Cold Weather Strategy to try to make sure people are not sleeping outside on the coldest nights.

“It’s a goal to ensure that we aren’t having people freezing to death or stuck outside overnight or putting themselves in these dangerous, dangerous situations that are just exacerbated by Saskatchewan’s cold and unpredictable weather,” Berenyi said.

She noted their clients often have addictions issues which create a barrier to getting into shelters that require sobriety. Berenyi said while there are many amazing organizations in the city, they are all being stretched very thin.

“There’s such a high demand, there are so many folks in need of this assistance, and there just aren’t enough resources in the community,” Berenyi said.

According to an online list of emergency shelters in Regina, the second week of January, all women’s shelters in the city were listed as full. The emergency youth shelter has four beds for girls and eight listed as general or for boys.

The Salvation Army Waterston Centre is for men only and has 18 main beds along with 11 overflow beds available on a first come, first serve basis. Souls Harbour Rescue Mission also operates an emergency men’s shelter with 24 beds.

Mobile Crisis Services, which arranges shelter for anyone who needs it, including couples or people with children also gets very busy at this time of year. Jan Thorson, the assistant executive director at the organization, said sometimes it will also explore options for people who may be able to stay with family but sometimes it has to resort to alternative measures like booking hotel rooms for the night. Those rooms are funded by Social Services through the Cold Weather Strategy program.

“So far we’ve been able to house everyone who wants a bed, and there are some people who refuse and that’s their choice, but for the most part we are able to find beds for everybody,” Thorson explained.

How can people help?

If you see or know someone sleeping outside or vulnerable to the cold, you can direct them to Mobile Crisis by phone or in person to get help.

Donating used winter clothing to shelters or places like Carmichael Outreach can also make a big difference.

Berenyi said warm winter coats are particularly hard to find for people who are living in poverty or on the streets.

“A winter jacket is $100 to $1,000 so it’s pretty tough to access,” she said.

Berenyi pointed out most people will wear their coats until they are worn out or they will sell them secondhand instead of donating them.

Warm socks are also particularly in demand through the cold months and it’s something people may take for granted until they don’t have them.

“Being able to find a warm, clean pair of socks is a huge deal for anyone and especially if you’re someone that’s going to be outside all day and maybe you don’t have a good pair of winter boots, or maybe you do but you’re going to be outside for so long one or two or even three pairs of socks at a time is usually an absolute must depending on the temperature,” Berenyi said.

This week Carmichael Outreach is currently accepting donations at the former Sear’s Bargain Centre building on the 1900 block of 6th Avenue. It will be closed next week before moving to another new temporary space out of the back door of the YWCA building on McIntyre Street.

She encourages anyone who wants to help to look into donating or volunteering with any of the organizations that help people in poverty in Regina.