New warming centre looks to address shelter shortage crisis in Brandon

When Chelsea Cote is on the hunt for a safe place to stay in Brandon, theSamaritan House Ministries Safe and Warm shelter is usually her chosen destination.

The shelter in the southwestern Manitoba city has created a community that feels like a home, she says.

"I made a lot of friends here," Cote said. "This is our home now."

However, since late October there has been no guarantee of finding a safeplace there, after the shelter hit its capacity limit for the first time since opening in 2013.

To address the shelter space shortage, Safe and Warm officially opened "The Q," an overflow warming shelter, onThursday.

The new warming space was used for the first time to take in overflow clientson Friday,Samaritan House Ministries executive director Barbara McNish said.

As a warming centre, The Qhas chairs and blankets for people to stay "snug and warm," she said, but it doesn't offer anywhereto sleep.

But operating on the same hours as the overnight Safe and Warm shelter7p.m. to 9 a.m. the new warming centrewill provide somewhere to go if the shelter space passes its 41-client capacity.

"It's cold. People are notalways able to find a safe and warm place," said McNish, which can be deadly in Manitoba's winter chill.

"If we're at capacity, we have The Q."

'We've never turned people away'

In October, Samaritan House Ministries which runs the Safe and Warm shelter held an emergency meeting to address its shelter bed capacity crisis, whichcreated a precarious situation for those that use its services, said McNish.

On some nights, the sheltersees more than 60 people drop in but no more than 41 canuse the facility at a time, she said.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shelter has seen 1,220 distinct visitors use its servicesa significant number in a city of just over 51,000.

For the current year up to Nov. 10,the sheltershelter had seen 443unique visitors.

"We had to turn people away [this year],and we've never turned people away," McNish said.

The plan is for The Q to operatefor the next four orfive months, to help people get through the winter, she said.

"If we can have people in the warming centre and nobody cold and left out in the cold, then it's successful."

'We enjoy this'

The name "Q" was chosen in honour of a person in the community named Quinton, who went by the nickname "Q," and wasa great advocate forproviding safe and warm shelter space before his recent death, McNish said.

Naming the space after the advocate speaks to the importanceof working together to provide safety,warmth and compassion for those in need, she said.

"Samaritan House does thathelping those in need. So if I can give you a bed or a bite to eat, then I've helped. But I don't do it alone. I do it because people out there donate to us....We all help those in need."

The new warming centre was made possible through $150,000 in funding from the province, which was announced last month. The United Way and the City of Brandon have also helped with emergency funding to get the centre open, said McNish.

But Safe and Warm guest Gabriel Ibarra says more support is needed from the government.

He said the facility seems to survive on donations from the community, andgovernments including local government needto step up to provide more aid.

"We rely on donations," he said. "Where has the heart come from the city?"

"Where has any giving come from the city to provide us with any kind of shelter or food or warmth or safety?"

Levi Huntinghawk from Rolling River First Nation visits the Safe and Warm shelter regularly.

He says he tries to use whatever resources are available, and thinks The Qis a good idea. He added he likes the name because it celebrates "Q," who was afriend.

He hopes the new shelter keeps a focus onmeeting the needs of its users.

"Keep it easy, simple, and make sure you don't slip along the way," Huntinghawk said.

"We enjoy this. I enjoy this."