‘The need is great:’ Carmichael Outreach excited for new warming space

After months of negotiations and years of planning, Regina’s Carmichael Outreach will soon have a space for people to stay warm overnight.

“Not only has Carmichael been talking about it but so has the community, so the community will be more than grateful for this and excited that we finally are able to provide this service,” said Tyler Gelsinger, the charity’s executive director.

On Monday, the City of Regina announced it would be taking $100,000 from the cold weather strategy budget, and adding that to $200,000 from the provincial government to provide Carmichael with the funds to open up the centre overnight.

“The need is great in the Heritage area because, essentially, at night there is nowhere for individuals to go,” said Gelsinger, who previously estimated Carmichael would need around $350,000 to open the centre.

The only other shelter that is open overnight in the city for everyone to access is All Nation’s Hope Network on Fifth Avenue, but that’s about 2.7 kilometres away from Carmichael.

“For an individual in the Heritage area to walk over there is unrealistic and it’s also a long venture. So, right now, the weather has been tame but as we’re heading into colder temperatures, frostbite and all that are more realistic to an individual,” explained Gelsinger.

He said the need has been growing the last couple of years. He said people are breaking into cars and garages to try to stay warm and there’s always a lineup of people waiting to get into Carmichael in the winter.

As well, in downtown Regina he said places like banks have started closing their ATM spaces and apartment buildings have started locking their outside doors to stop people going inside and warming up.

The warming centre will be upstairs at Carmichael on 11th Avenue and will be a place for people to stay warm and use the washroom. There will be food and coffee available, but it won’t be all the services the charity provides during the day.

“Maybe in the future we can look at expanding services, but right now we’re just trying to meet the immediate demand of just having a warm place for people to go at night in the Heritage area,” explained Gelsinger.

He’s hoping the centre will open Jan. 22 and continue to May. The government money is a one-time grant, but Gelsinger said Carmichael would like to continue the partnerships and is already thinking about next winter.

Until the centre is opened, the city will be posting a warming bus outside Carmichael starting later this week.

(Lisa Schick/980 CJME)