Cold-weather safety top of mind for homeless agencies; downtown library’s doors remain closed

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With temperatures expected to remain at -15 C or below for at least the next week, social service agencies that help the homeless say more needs to be done for vulnerable Winnipeggers.

Safety is the biggest concern, said Siloam Mission communication manager Luke Thiessen.

“For anyone serving the homeless community, those experiencing homelessness, those living on the streets, the No. 1 concern for us is the safety of everybody who doesn’t have an easy place to come in out of the cold,” he said Monday, ahead of a forecast overnight low of -21C with a windchill making it feel like -29C.

“That means co-ordinating with other agencies to make sure we know where we can send someone, depending on the time and the need, that we reduce barriers for people who need to come in out of the cold when it’s extremely cold, and that we have the resources to give out the things that people need.”

Thiessen said shelters have access to a shared database of available overnight beds to direct people to, if one shelter is full on a given night.

During the day, Thiessen said, people without homes have more options for places to go to keep warm, including drop-ins run by the mission, Main Street Project on Martha Street, 1JustCity in Osborne Village and N’Dinawemak on the Disraeli Freeway, for example, as well as other spaces, such as malls.

Depending on the temperature, the mission keeps its Princess Street drop-in open throughout the day, rather than closing for cleaning, he said.

The indefinite closure of the downtown Millennium Library after a fatal stabbing just over a week ago hasn’t helped.

“The loss, even hopefully temporarily, of a place like the Millennium Library is really challenging. That’s one of the big, centrally located public spaces,” Thiessen said.

“Libraries are one of the few truly free public places… I think it’s important other city services remain open, that people are gracious in shops, in malls, places like Portage Place — those few places where people can come in for a bit and gather.”

A city spokesman said Monday no reopening date has been established for the library.

“Details of a re-opening plan will be announced at the same time as the re-opening date,” spokesman Kalen Qually said.

End Homelessness Winnipeg CEO Jason Whitford noted that agencies working with homeless residents have an extreme-weather emergency working group that meets ahead of cold snaps to talk about the available resources.

“It could be fatal, it’s dangerous,” Whitford said of the extreme cold.

He said losing public spaces such as the library is a concern, as are safety issues for other people using the library and its staff.

“We’re working with the city to let them know what our challenge is and the capacity at shelters and warming spaces.… We’re hoping that the city can come and support our cause, because they’re going to be the ones, their emergency personnel, are going to be the ones responding to calls,” he said.

Whitford added the bigger picture is that there is an inadequate supply of low-income and supportive or transitional housing in the city.

Jamil Mahmood, executive director of Main Street Project, noted the extreme weather working group, which last met Friday, has established an extreme weather fund through End Homelessness Winnipeg’s federal resources to pay for whatever is needed, whether expanding shelter and drop-in spaces or getting more supplies, in brutal conditions.

Main Street Project also recently received federal funding to pay for a second outreach van, with plans to have workers operating a vehicle around the clock.

There are also funded plans for the Sabe Peace Walkers to run “community care” pop-up camps with warming sites and other resources this winter.

As for spaces like such as the Millennium Library, Mahmood said he has not heard directly that its closure has affected people seeking services, but that thinks the city needs to step up.

“Expecting not-for-profits and charities like ours to be the sole response in extreme weather is not a fair expectation, when the city has recreation centres, libraries, all these other places — they should all become warming centres in the extreme cold,” he said.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
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Erik Pindera reports for the city desk, with a particular focus on crime and justice.

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