Shelters gear up for extreme cold on Ottawa streets

Ottawa's homeless shelters are gearing up to help people living on the streets cope with the frigid temperatures that have gripped the capital and are forecast to hold on into the new year.

The Salvation Army's outreach van, based at the Ottawa Booth Centre in the ByWard Market, has extended its hours from 16 to 24 hours in response to the extreme cold and frostbite warnings.

David Reid, a supervisor for the Salvation Army's outreach services van, said the focus is bringing people inside and reducing the risk of frostbite.

"We want to make sure that we're taking advantage of every hour of the night to try to bring people in. We'll go into known hiding spots in the city, we'll double back," he said.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, outreach workers came back to restock supplies in the black van emblazoned with the Salvation Army logo.

"We will go out with sleeping bags, boots, all kinds of things to keep people warm," Reid said.

But the main objective is get people to come in from the cold, Reid said, even if it stretches the shelter system's resources. People who face temporary bans from the shelter for bad behaviour will be allowed in because safety comes first, he said.

Use 311 if you see someone in need

"We're usually full once the winter season gets here. We start to get a sense where we're almost bursting at the seams," Reid said. "Once you get into a cold weather situation, you have to really just dig deeper and find more space."

The Booth Centre normally has 168 beds, but by cleaning out its two television lounges and providing mats and linens, it can accommodate an additional 50 men.

Reid said people can call 311 if they see someone who may need to be taken to a shelter, and the outreach van co-ordinates with the city to respond. Paramedics said they are also responding to weather-related calls.

Brian Beehler, a spokesperson for the Ottawa Mission, said shelters are co-ordinating their work and increasing their efforts to deal with the sudden cold snap.

"We have to increase our staff, even the food intake has to increase. The number of beds have to increase. It's just overall more of an effort when the weather is like this and it snaps like this," Beehler said.

"We just don't want these men being out on the streets and suffering."

'We'll find a spot'

Ottawa Mission staff patrol the streets every half hour to check in on people and make sure they don't have symptoms of frostbite or exposure, but their main offer is a warm place to stay, Beehler said.

"A lot of them will sleep outside because of pride. They just don't want to come in and get the help but for the majority of them, they do come in. And we won't turn them away. If we don't have the spot, we'll find a spot."

At Salvation Army, Reid said issues such as social anxiety can also make people reluctant to come inside.

The Shepherds of Good Hope said it's opening up common areas so clients can stay indoors between their official check-out and check-in times. 

The current frigid temperatures are expected to hold through to Saturday.