Extreme cold puts some homeless shelters at capacity, putting Winnipeggers in ‘life and death situation’: Siloam

As Winnipeg is covered in snow and under an orange level extreme cold warning, several outreach organizations say people experiencing homelessness are in a “life and death situation,” while some shelters are operating over capacity.

The temperature dropped to -30°C on Tuesday, with the wind chill making it feel like -43°C overnight. Environment Canada said. The extreme cold is expected to continue as the minimum temperature in Winnipeg is expected to hover around -35 degrees Celsius throughout the week, with icy winds making it feel even colder.

The federal weather agency warns that frostbite can develop in a matter of minutes in these cold conditions. People who don’t have adequate winter clothing or a place to stay warm are at even greater risk.

Margot Ross, senior development manager for Siloam Mission, said extreme cold is a “life and death situation” for someone experiencing homelessness.

“In the winter in Winnipeg, it’s a particularly precarious time if you’re experiencing homelessness,” Ross said. He said employees see “a lot of frostbite this time of year.”

The Princes Street shelter, which can accommodate about 400 people overnight, is always filled to capacity, he said – in fact, it often runs over capacity. It also serves food to about 1,500 people daily.

Ross said Siloam is “desperately in need of warm clothing”, including winter jackets and boots, gloves, hats and new socks and underwear. The mission’s supplies were largely exhausted, he said. Last week a fire broke out in the vacant Manwin Hotel. Destroyed the Main Street Project’s donation center and forced that shelter to temporarily close.

Cindy Titus, interim director of development for the Main Street Project, said the shelter is open again for daytime programming, drop-in and overnight stays. But water and smoke damage to its donation center has rendered items stored there unusable, he said, forcing him to move donations to Siloam and Linking Hope until they can make repairs.

“We lost access to an important location for our organization and community and then we also lost some significant number of clothing donation items,” Titus said.

Those donations were especially important during this severe winter, he said.

“When the weather gets really cold like this, we need those items immediately and very quickly,” Titus said. He said they added a second mobile outreach van to distribute warm clothing, food and harm reduction supplies in the winter.

She said when it’s this cold the shelter fills up very quickly, so they take turns letting people who can’t get a bed stay warm in their lobby on a first-come, first-served basis.

Titus said, “Winnipeg is known for its harsh climate. It gets really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. Many people experiencing homelessness are at great risk because of this extremely cold weather.”

Kristin Marand, communications manager for the Salvation Army’s Prairies Division, said the Winnipeg Center of Hope emergency shelter typically sees a surge during the winter, but staff at the Henry Avenue facility “can absolutely make room” for those who need it.

“When the temperature drops below zero, this place is always available for people to come,” Marand said. He said the shelter has not yet reached its maximum capacity this winter.

He said the shelter has 30 beds in three dorm spaces, with a series of rooms that can be converted into sleeping quarters with mats as needed.

“Everyone in this area really works together, so if someone is in need and another shelter is full, we can communicate between those shelters and find someone a place to stay,” she said.

“If there are more people who are looking for a place to stay during this extreme weather, we can certainly make room for them.”

Look Shelters across Winnipeg are working together to keep people warm:

Shelters in Winnipeg work together to keep people warm during the cold

Siloam Mission, Main Street Project and the Salvation Army are all expecting high demand for their services as extreme cold is forecast to hit Winnipeg in the coming days.