Warming shelters for city's homeless population fill up as extreme cold hits Winnipeg

As a wave of extreme cold hits Winnipeg this week, homeless shelters in the city are scrambling to make space to keep people warm.

Several shelters have banded together to create a pop-up warming space in Siloam Mission's drop-in area this winter. The shelter can open whenthe overnight temperature feels like 10 C or colder andother emergency sheltersare consistently full.A decision to open the shelter must be made three days in advance.

Much of Manitoba is under an extreme cold weather warning that is expected to last until Monday or Tuesday, bringing overnight lows of 30 C, Environment Canada says.

In Winnipeg, a low of 22 C is forecastfor Friday night, with temperatures likely staying close to 20 C or belowuntil next week, the weather agency's website says.

In recent days, the shelter has seen close to 100 people a night, said Siloam MissionCEO Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud.

"It's certainly a concern to see numbers that high," she said.

"That means that without the pop-up space we would literally have hundreds of people on our street without anywhere warm and safe to go."

She said Siloam's regular shelter space has been full every day since September.

"The need is so large that there sort of wasn't a big relief in the sector because of the later cold weather," she said.

Over at Thunderbird House on Main Street, Indigenous organizations have opened anotherspacethat operates a minimum of four days a week, and 24 hours a day during extreme weather alerts.

For a third winter in a row,Indigenous organizations are setting up a teepeeon the Thunderbird House property, providing access to overnight warmth, basic needs and traditional teachings.

Warming shelters fill up as extreme cold grips Winnipeg

9 months ago

Duration 2:09

As a wave of extreme cold hits Winnipeg this week, homeless shelters in the city are scrambling to make space to keep people warm.

It's where Frankie, who is unhoused, turnedwhen the cold weather hit Winnipeg this week.

He says the space is welcoming and has good energy.

"It's an awesome place. There seems to be zero tolerance for any BS."

Without spaces like it, he said people have no choice but to try to stay warmin lobbies or bus shelters.

"People are just huddled until sunrise, until they can get their first coffee or shelter."

Frankie said he hears a lot of talk about efforts to help people who are homeless, but not a lot of change.

"They've been saying a lot of things, like you know, housing the homeless, and you don't see anything new. Where does the money go?" he said.

"But ifyou see something rise, it placates peopleit gives them hope."

St. Boniface Street Links also opened up its pop-up warming space earlier this week.

The shelter is located in a vacant city-owned building at 604 St. Mary's Rd., the same place the outreach organization opened a pop-up shelter last year.