Saskatchewan shelters responding to increased urgency to house homeless

With temperatures in the 30s and wind chills down to 50, the need to offer shelter to those who are homeless in Saskatchewan is even more urgent than usual.

• Extreme cold weather warnings across Saskatchewan

Maj.Wayne McDonough,the executive director of the Salvation Army Waterson Centre, said theRegina men'sshelter has 96 beds, but on days of increased usage they won't turn anyone away who needstheir services.

"We don't send them out in the cold,"McDonoughsaid.

He said the length of time people are staying in the shelter's commons areas and overflow has increased, but that's the only increase he could measure.

Urgency increases even if numbers do not

There are around230 homeless people in Regina, according to a homeless count in 2015.

• 232 people noted in Regina homeless count

Tyler Gray, public relations officer atCarmichaelOutreach, says the numberof people using the community-based charity's services is consistent as always.

"The numbers don't necessarily increase, it's more the urgency that increases," said Gray.

In addition to trying to find homes and long-term shelter on frigid days for people,Carmichael Outreach aims help those who don't have the winter gear that they need.

"If you look around right now you see people outside in a sweater on a day where it's 49. So we're trying to make sure everybody has the stuff that they need," said Gray.

In addressing the needs of their clients, CarmichaelOutreach works closely with the Regina non-profit Mobile Crisis Services.

The Mobile Crisis Services team lists which shelters have available beds and helps to findpeople who are sleeping outside and at risk. This means they, and other organizations, can coordinate shelter quickly for people in need.

DamaraSeudath, a team leader with Mobile Crisis Services, says there has definitely been an increase in demand for their services.

"Typically in the summers, people are able to deal with livingsometimesin not-desirable locations," saidSeudath. "When it's like this it's not fair to expect someone to live in campers or outside."

Nine shelters and onedetoxcentre are included on the the Mobile Crisis Serviceswebsite's emergency shelter list. It includes contact informationas well asvacancy status. On Wednesday evening, it showed at least three of those shelters were full.

"There's always a need," saidSeudath. "We'll always find a space for them."

Despite the available shelters and response from organizations that work with homeless people,Gray says the current efforts aren't enough.

"We can talk till we're blue in the face about coats andmitts and tuques that people need. But at the end of the day it's treating a symptom rather than the root of the issue," he said.

"The root of the issue is that we need to make sure people in our community have permanent housing."

People who don't know where to go can callCall Mobile Crisis Services at 1-306-757-0127 or go to them at 164611thAve. The services are alwaysavailable.

Regina's cold weather strategy, developed byservice providers including shelters, emergency service agencies, and housing providers, is in place from Nov. 1 to March 31 each year. According to Mobile Crisis Services' website, it aims"to ensure services work together so everyone sleeps in a safe place on cold nights in Regina."

• Cold weather homelessness on agenda in Regina