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COMMUNITY AND JUSTICE WORK by Debbie Marshall

In the Bleak Midwinter

A brutal winter challenged agencies working with homeless people

M

en cluster outside the front doors of the Bissell Centre in downtown Edmonton on a grey March afternoon. Today the thermometer hovers just below zero, a welcome break from this past winter, when the mercury often dipped below -30 degrees Celsius. Inside, people gather in the agency’s drop-in centre for a coffee and the chance to find casual employment through its placement service. This past winter, the centre opened the drop-in one hour earlier and four hours later each day to provide a warm spot for people to congregate during periods when public buildings and shelters were often closed. It was a winter many provinces and territories reported record-breaking temperatures and snowfall. For Canada’s homeless people, the frigid weather threatened their survival, while placing heavier burdens on the agencies that serve them. When temperatures reached -20 or colder, Bissell’s drop-in was open all night as a respite centre for those who couldn’t 12

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access other shelters. “We don’t ever want to turn anyone away,” says Marlene Orr, Director of Community Programs and Services. That sentiment is echoed by agencies in Winnipeg, a city that endured the third-coldest winter in more than a century. In the Village, a trendy area that is home to the upwardly mobile and the struggling poor, a unique ministry makes life more bearable for those at risk from sub-zero temperatures. Located within the thick limestone walls of Augustine United Church, Oak Table Community Ministry provides respite and a warm meal for 80 to 100 people four days a week. “We’re a ministry of hospitality, respect, and safety,” says Patricia Baker, the director of the program. As she speaks, 15 volunteers are in the church kitchen heating up a proteinrich soup, making sandwiches, cutting desserts, and preparing coffee. Samy, a Haitian student on a limited income, volunteers with Oak Table. He understands personally how tough the winter can be for those who are homeless. “[The cold] affects me in the way that I am supposed to live, that is, puts me in a situation to be always stressful about moving to my

Bissell Centre

Bissell’s 24/7 Mobile Assistance Program team helps those outside the mandate of police or emergency services.

COMMUNITY AND JUSTICE WORK

Oak Table

Participant in Oak Table’s art program.

activities,” says Samy. “Also, winter impacts my behaviour in a sense that I have to dress warmly or require new clothes such as winter jackets, mitts, and boots. Moreover, the cold climate affects me economically. When it is cold I have to take the bus or buy bus passes where there are some places I can [normally] just walk to go.” According to Baker, some guests can’t make ends meet on social assistance while others have mental health issues and addictions. “The doors are open for anybody,” she says. Winter is especially tough for those who must walk kilometres each day to places that provide warmth and a hot meal. “They come in with very wet, shredded footwear,” says Baker. “We deal with cellulitis, frostbite, and blisters. We also see a lot of coughs and colds.” Oak Table provides foot care clinics, haircuts, chiropractic services, and art classes. Baker also counsels people, providing referrals to health and social workers. Sometimes she just listens. “A conversation about someone’s need for new boots can develop into a deeper conversation about how far those boots have walked,” she says. Back in downtown Edmonton, it is -15 degrees, and an intoxicated man in his mid-40s is lying on the pavement. He’s conscious but not able to look after himself. Mike Toepfer and his colleague, Florence Moccasin, help the man into their van and drive him to a nearby shelter. It’s a typical evening for the members of Bissell Centre’s 24/7 Mobile Assistance Program (MAP). A crisis diversion program begun in 2013, MAP helps those who are in need but who are outside of the mandate of police or emergency services. Toepfer and Moccasin have helped as many as 14 people during a 12-hour shift. “It’s pretty unpredictable—crises can happen anywhere, any time,” says Toepfer.

Clients are identified through referrals, says Marlene Orr. “We put a call out on Twitter and Facebook to ask people to let us know if they see a homeless person suffering in the cold.” Similar programs are offered at the Fred Victor Centre in Toronto, an organization dedicated to helping people find affordable housing or emergency shelter, job training, and access to food and health care. According to Communications Manager Carol Watson, 40 percent of Toronto’s population pay more than 40 percent of their income for rent. Those who cannot afford permanent housing are staying in emergency shelters longer, placing a greater strain on these organizations. “There’s nowhere else to go,” says Watson. Fred Victor operates two emergency shelters, a 44-bed women’s hostel, a 70-bed hostel for people and their pets, 14 “coldweather beds” and two day programs. “We have three sites for permanent housing, with 300 or so people housed permanently,” says Watson. This year they provided these services in the shadow of the coldest winter Ontario has seen in 20 years. In January, when Toronto was facing wind chills of -40 degrees, Fred Victor worked with the City of Toronto to operate a warming centre in Metro Hall, a giant glass and concrete building that is the site of many municipal offices. The building was open 24 hours a day throughout the frigid weather. Hot soup and drinks were provided. “In a public building it brings two worlds together,” says Watson. In the morning, executives walked past homeless people who had spent the night on cots and the shiny floors of the office tower. Fred Victor also opened an additional 15 beds in its day program this winter as part of its emergency bed program. This created more demands for food, blankets, and clothing, according to Andrea Willis, the manager of the women’s hostel. Hard-working staff dealt with an increase in numbers of people with colds and frostbite. Willis says the extra work was worth it. “If we get another 15 women off the streets and with friendly, supportive, caring staff and they are not freezing or being violated or abused,” says Willis, “I’m all for it.” According to Statistics Canada, across the country, 95 people died of exposure from excessive cold in 2011, the most recent year for which there are figures. Those kinds of numbers continue to galvanize the work of organizations such as Oak Table, Fred Victor, and Bissell that support and empower homeless people in the depths of our Canadian winters. Debbie Marshall is an Alberta writer and editor. This year, Bissell, Oak Table, and Fred Victor will receive a total of $78,000 in M&S funding. Your gifts for M&S support 75 outreach ministries across Canada. These ministries save lives and bring hope. MANDATE | AUGUST 2014

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