Homeless shelters prepare for increased need during winter amid COVID-19

"Food is good. You feel blessed to be alive. I know I do," said Patrick Grope, sitting outside the Street Help soup kitchen on Wyandotte Street East.

Grope has been homeless for just over a week. He sleeps at the Downtown Mission and also comes to Street Help for food. He is about to experience his first winter without a roof over his head.

"Not looking forward to it. I prefer to have my own place for me, and the rent's outrageous here," said Grope

The COVID crisis has doubled the numbers going to Street Help for help. They would like a share of the $5.5 million the city received from the province this week to fight homelessness.

"With a million of that we could renovate our upstairs and have another shelter option for people," said Boikoff. "Sleeping bags are great but a roof over your head would be better."

Rev. Ron Dunn from the Downtown Mission agrees and would also like to have some of that money.

"It's no secret that we intend to build on the corner of McDougall and Shepherd and it's no secret that we're going to need help," said Dunn. "So some of that money, I understand, could be used for new shelters."

A group of three Windsor firefighters recently collected 150 sleeping bags for Street Help and two other organizations by spending the night on the roof of fire hall number two.

"It was a big community effort on our part to bring awareness to the homeless," said Derek Bull.

The firefighters plan to distribute the sleeping bags sometime in the middle of next week. Those at Street Help say they could use all 150 bags.

"There's people who aren't accepted into the other shelters in Windsor and so they have no where else to go," said office manager Lisa Boikoff.

"We're really doing a lot by mostly feeding them, and we do get donations for people that need like winter hats. toques - all brand new stuff," said board member and manager Anthony Nelson.

• Advocates urging those in Windsor encampment, on streets, to seek shelter as winter nears

An anonymous donor gave the mission $400,000  in clothing recently. The mission has kept some for their clients, but it is selling the rest this weekend at the old downtown library location to raise money for the shelter. City council still has to decide how to distribute the provincial grant. A report will go to council in the new year.