Unhoused people in Sudbury say fewer shelter options mean living in a tent for now

Over the winter, temporary federal funding increased the number of overnight and extended shelter hour options in Greater Sudbury. 

Now that the money has run out, Grace Family Church is no longer open overnight as a refuge, and drop-in times at the public library, the Samaritan Centre and the Sudbury Centre for Transitional Care have returned to shorter hours.

For people experiencing homelessness, this means fewer options to turn to for temporary shelter.

The plan is to 'grab a tent' and try to stay warm 

That's the situation Caleb Parker and Amy Power are currently confronted with. In their early thirties, the couple has been experiencing homelessness over the past few months. 

Parker says with Grace Family Church no longer being an option, there aren't any other spaces he would seek shelter in. 

"Right now the only other shelter that takes in men has a very bad case of bed bugs," he said. "Dealing with bed bugs is hard because when you get bit it itches for days. 

"It makes you look unclean, people don't want to be around you, and it just creates even more problems." 

Parker says their plan is to "grab a tent and try and hide somewhere" to stay warm. 

Power is currently going through a court process for the custody of two of her four children. She's hoping to be included in one of the city's housing lists, but has been struggling to attend her appointments with housing navigators. 

"I have visits with my children at the access centre, so I keep forgetting to show up at the appointment," she said. 

Both Power and Parker say they feel stigmatized by the wider community for experiencing homelessness. 

"There's people that say hurtful words and put me down," said Power. 

Pushed out of the housing market

Jeremy Gauvreau has been experiencing homelessness for three years. 

"I'm on the list for housing. But it's a pretty long list and I'm just waiting to get in," he said. 

Gauvreau says he used to rent a four bedroom house for $800 a month, but that the landlord ended up selling it and he had to move. 

Since then he's been struggling to find a new place he can afford. 

"The rents in Sudbury have gone sky high. I can't even find a bachelor pad for [$800]. It's crazy," he said.

Gauvreau says he's been staying in encampments and shelters as he waits to find a place of his own.

The executive director of the Sudbury Centre for Transitional Care, Jehnna Morin, says she'll lose nine employees with the end of the funding as they return to previous operating hours.

She expects there will be more demand on emergency services. With more people living outside, she foresees more calls to paramedics and more people seeking medical care in emergency rooms.

The centre offers rooming units for sober living as well as some for people with addictions and mental health issues and operates the drop-in.