Northeastern Ontario cities use buses, hotel rooms to keep people warm

For nine consecutive days, people experiencing homelessness in Timmins, Ont., have been able to keep warm in a school bus parked near city hall.

A recovery and mental health group called RiskTakers works with the city to provide a warm space on wheels, along with some hot food and beverages.

Dan Gloster, president of the local chapter, said they've had as many as 81 people drop by the bus to keep warm.

"People come in, they sleep on the bus," Gloster said. 

"Some people are kicked out of the shelters here, so they come to us and we give them a spot to keep warm."

The group also donates warm clothes like toques and mittens to anyone who needs them.

A collaborative effort

Meagan Baranyk, the city's community strategies co-ordinator, said the City of Timmins works with 15 different agencies to help people experiencing homelessness, especially around cold weather alerts, when the temperature dips below –25 C with the wind chill.

The city also has outreach workers who connect people with different services, including the Living Space shelter, when there's an extreme cold weather alert.

Due to an extreme cold warning on Friday, communities across northeastern Ontario have plans in place to help people stay warm.

In Greater Sudbury, the city's extreme cold weather alerts come into effect when the temperature drops below –15 C, below –20 C with a wind chill, "or when Environment Canada issues a storm watch or weather warning."

Gail Spencer, the city's manager of housing stability and homelessness, says when there's an extreme cold weather alert, outreach workers known as "redcoats" have a van to offer people rides to one of four shelters and an overnight warming centre.

Spencer said the shelters haven't been at capacity yet this winter. On Wednesday night, there were eight beds available.

When more services are available during the day, she said, people spend time in city-owned buildings like public libraries to stay warm.

"But of course, it's the overnight when a lot of other public spaces are closed that it's very important to have these extra services available."

Laura Lavigne, co-ordinator of public services at the Greater Sudbury Public Library, said it normally plays a movie every Friday at the main branch. Due to Friday's extreme cold, with temperatures dropping to –27 C, they will play a second one so people have a reason to stay longer.

North Bay Coun. Mark King, who chairs the Nipissing District Social Services Board, said the city normally has 20 hotel rooms available for people experiencing homelessness, but expands that number on extreme cold weather nights.

City workers direct people to the hotel rooms when North Bay's low-barrier shelter is full.

King said the city's downtown transit centre is also open longer to help people stay warm.

"I know for a fact right now that, you know, our low barrier shelter is running at capacity, " King said.

"I know that there's between 30 and 50 people using the warming centre. And I also know that we've reached the cap on our ceiling of rooms over the last short period. So there is no question we're running at capacity."

King said demand for shelters increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But despite the challenges, he said anyone who needs somewhere to warm up, or sleep, will be able to find one.