Frigid temperatures push Winnipeg homeless shelter's capacity

The frigid weather that has iced over much of Manitoba has a Winnipeghomeless shelterexpecting to be pushed to its limits.

"Nobody wants to even walk from their house to their car in some of the weather we're about to experience, so to imagine people having to sleep outside in that is really heart-wrenching," saidTessa Blaikie Whitecloud, executive director of 1JustCity.

Thenon-profit agencyoperates Just a Warm Sleep, anemergency shelterat Augustine United Church in Osborne Village, with room25 people each night.

This past week, as temperatures began to movefrom mild to more January-like, there were about a dozen sleepers each night at the shelter,Blaikie Whitecloud said.

"But tonight we are expecting to see well into 20 or more," she said, noting many guests havesaid they will be telling friends about the shelter "and making sure they can be warm."

Environment Canada is calling for daytime highs of19 C to28 C for the remainder of the week with overnight lows of27 C to33 C. The wind chill, however, will make it feel more like36 at times, especially overnight.

Normal temperatures for this time of year are a daytime high of 13 C and overnight low of 23 C.

"We'll be close to capacity for sure soour plan, which we have been doing, is to work in coordination with the West End 24 space [West End 24 Hour Safe Space for Youth] if we have people who are young enought to go there, and with the Salvation Army," saidBlaikie Whitecloud.

Unlike some shelters, which refuse toadmitpeople if they've had alcohol,Just a Warm Sleep tried to limit the barriers as much as possible.

Sobriety isn't mandatory for those staying the night, provided everyone is respectful and aren't using drugs or alcohol inside the space, while clients can also bring their dogs.

"I just hearda story of somebody experiencing homelessness and their dog passed away because it froze to death outside," Blaikie Whitecloud said.

"I can't imagine how attached these folks are to their dogs. That dog is security, that dog is companionship, that dog is social health."

Those with furrycompanions have another area in the shelter, apart from the main space, to sleep.

Forthe shelter's first two years in operation, it opened only when temperatures slipped to 10 C or colder, but now in its third year, it is open every night until things start warming up at the end of March.

Ithas also picked up new funding, enablingit to hirea full-time housing coordinator to help people find places to live.

I just head a story of somebody experiencing homelessness and their dog passed away because it froze to death outside,- Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud

"We're still relying on donations to be open every night," Blaikie Whitecloud said. "But we're really happy to offer this service and make sure people have a chance to be safe."

Staff at Just a Warm Sleep will try hard to accomodate everyone but with space for only a couple of dozen, that's not always possible.

"So we'll work with those other services as much as possible, but some folks won't go other places," saidBlaikie Whitecloud.

"That might be because they don't leave Osborne Village because it's their neighbourhoodor because somebody they've had a conflict with is in one of those other spaces. But we will do what we can to notturn anyone away.

"Last year we got to over 25 [people] a couple of times only and I'm hoping that this year, if and when it happens, through End Homeless Winnipeg and working with those other sites, we'll make sure everyone has a warm place to be."

City of extreme weather

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said the city is also working with frontline agencies help those most vulnerable in this arctic chill.

The Extreme Weather Protocol, which sees city staff working with shelters to ensure people can get out of the cold, was put into place a couple of years ago.

"It helps coordinate amongst everybody involved and so we have city staff that meetregularly and are working proactively so these these discussions don't start when the temperature drops to 20 C,30 C. These discussions are happening throughout the year," Bowman said.

Winnipeg is a city of extreme weather, both winter and summer, so it continues to put funding in place for those agencies, he said.

As frigid temperatures settle in, shelters prepare for a busy night

6 years ago

Duration 0:44

Agencies that help the homeless throughout Winnipeg are gearing up for busier nights now that the temperature is dropping.