Warming shelters prepare for a cold Saskatchewan winter

Winter is coming, and it’s bringing the cold  crisp air with it.

Many in Saskatchewan will be able to weather the storm in warm houses hooked up to heating. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone in our province.

As temperatures begin to drop, shelters across Saskatchewan are preparing the best they can, so they can help as many people as possible.

One of those shelters is Carmichael Outreach in downtown Regina.

Carmichael Outreach is a registered charity that provides various services to those in the community who experience poverty and homelessness.

Last year was the facility’s first official year operating.

Chrysta Garner is the Development Coordinator for Carmichael Outreach in Regina, and she said last year they saw a lot of people come through their doors.

“Our capacity was at 80, or just over 80, and we were at capacity every night,” said Garner.

This year, she expects those numbers to get much higher after an encampment in the city was forced to move.

“The majority of those people that were living there have, you know, migrated towards us. So we have a huge encampment right now beside us, and that has increased the amount of people that have come through. And there’s so many new faces, which, unfortunately, is quite sad.”

She said they’re currently facing one main issue ahead of their opening.

“Mainly it’s just the staff that’s our biggest thing. It’s just making sure we have the staff in place and they’re properly trained,” said Garner.

She said that if the community is wanting to help, they’re always looking for donations.

“Men’s wear is always, always, always a top need, because, you know, anybody can wear a men’s pair of pants or a men’s shirt. So those things go quite fast. You know, socks, of course, underwear — those types of things are always in dire need,” said Garner.

“Their best bet is to phone our front desk and just book an appointment in, and that way we can ensure that we have a volunteer at the door to gather those items from their vehicle,” said Garner.

Carmichael Outreach’s warming shelter is expected to open on November 1st.

In Saskatoon, similar preparations are taking place.

The Salvation Army is in preparation mode as we begin to head into colder temperatures.

Roger Yenkins is the director of housing services at the Salvation Army, and he said that as soon as it gets cold, they get busy.

“As soon as the temperature drops, yeah, things get busy, and we see our numbers grow, and that means that, yeah, that we would be at over capacity quite often during the winter months, we would add beds into a shelter. We have a 75 shelter here on Avenue C, and for the past two winters, we’ve been asked just to add another 10 beds to that, which we did. And yeah, there’s definitely a huge need for more support, especially emergency shelter beds,” said Yenkins.

Yenkins said that they need to come together to help those in need.

“I think we have a crisis in our hands. There’s not a lot of stock. There are very complex needs. People need help. People need support. So as a community, we need to join forces. We need to be together. We need to be more open-minded and understand the need, and everybody has a part to play in this,” said Yenkins.