Space already at a premium at Halifax's homeless shelters

Halifax's major homeless shelters are near capacity even before the official start of winterand many are in need ofmore food donations and volunteers to help weather the chilly weather.

At the Out of the Cold shelter, organizer Jeff Karabanowsaid more people are coming through the doors this December than at the same time last year.

He said people's needs change as temperatures drop.

"They need clothes, better food, places to go during the day, they need more immediate support," he said. "It affects people's mental health, it affects their sense of security and safety. We see it day in and day out...Just finding a washroom when it's -15 can be really difficult."

Beds filling up

Of the 15 overnight beds it offers, Out of the Cold is routinely filling between 10 and 13 a night.

Karabanowsaid Out of the Cold has had to turn people away when the temperature drops and beds fill up, butthey do offer a space for people to warm up for a few hours through the night.

Out of the Cold is planning on opening a warming center to get people off the street during the day, but Karabanow saidthe shelter also needs about 20 more people to volunteer at the shelter.

Cold weather challenges

A lack of beds and resources is also a problem at other homeless shelters around Halifax.

Barry House, an emergency shelter for women, their dependent children, transgender people and youth, had only three empty bedsTuesdaynight.

Shelter Nova Scotia's men's shelter had 73 of its 80 beds occupied.

The cold weather poses other challenges when it comes to helping the homeless.

Chronic homelessness

"I know that there are some people that find the shelters with those large numbers very challenging to live in," said Linda Wilson, executive director of Shelter Nova Scotia. "In the summertime you can go out more and just come in to sleep, but when the weather is bad people want to stay in more."

Wilson said Shelter Nova Scotia's shelters are actually fullest during early summer, but that the need is constant, no matter the season.

"There are people who have a lifetime of what you might call chronic homelessness, those people are homeless all year round," she said.

• Halifax Shoebox Project collecting gifts for women in shelters
• Halifax's homeless shelters fill up as temperatures drop
• Men's homeless shelter in Halifax running low on basics