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The recent cold spell hasn’t been friendly to the most vulnerable population in Regina.
Shelters throughout the city have been flirting with capacity as it has been too dangerous for people to spend extended amounts of time outside.
Al Hoeft with the Salvation Army says shelters like his are going the extra mile to ensure people have a warm place to rest.
“We’re trying to make as many allowances to accommodate as many people as possible during this time,” Hoeft said. “The challenge, of course, is everybody’s facing the cold weather and we’re wanting to make sure that we can get people off the street.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure we fill every one of those spaces every night so that we’re getting as many people off the streets as possible.”
The facility holds around 115 to 120 people, and Hoeft says it has been full every day.
“One of the things that we know is during very cold snaps, everybody needs to pitch in,” he said. “We do what we can (and) our partner agencies do everything that they can to make sure that people are being kept safe and warm. We know that first responders are paying extra careful attention to people who are out and about.
“We know that, as a community, we all pull together in the same direction, especially in these very cool days.”
It’s not just the Salvation Army that is dealing with an increased workload. Places like the YWCA and Souls Harbour said they are in the same boat, noting it isn’t unusual to see a big increase in demand during cold spells.
The senior director of operations with YWCA Regina, Alexis Losie, says the demand stays busy all year long — the cold only changes how the demand is met.
“We do see the increase in simply just needing that place to stop in and warm up. That need otherwise is fairly regular year-round; it stays quite high,” Losie said.
“The biggest change we would see when the cold is here is that we would have more people coming in to find a space to warm up while getting a meal and a warm drink.
“I think everyone who provides service and support to marginalized folks in our city is concerned about making sure that we are able to meet the needs.”