Mild Winter Still Finds People Seeking Shelter

Those working with people on the street say less snow and cold does not solve lack of permanent places to sleep.

The unusually mild and snowless winter has created challenges and problems for those who are counting on a real winter, but it has not necessarily meant a break for those who live on the street.

The warming centers operated by CHUM provide relief and safety for those who need it, but this winter they have still been seeing sixty to eighty people every night at each of their centers. Getting people a permanent place to rest their head is an even bigger challenge.

“We dribble people out into housing,” said Kim Randolph, Director of Stabilization Services at CHUM.

“In the last year we served fifteen hundred people through all three shelters, and only about ten percent of those found housing. About 153 in the last year. So ten a month maybe, eight a month. Sometimes fifteen if there’s a family involved. But it’s a struggle to get people in housing,” said Randolph.

Randolph says the process requires patience. Even when they do find someone suitable long-term housing, things can still fall apart after awhile and they are seen again.

“They didn’t make it, or they moved in permanently with a family member and that didn’t work out, so they end up back with us,” said Randolph. “So, it’s a constant struggle to find housing. The housing market for our population is almost unavailable. And if you don’t have a ready subsidy, or a place identified, you’re probably not going to get housed in the near future.”

As for this winter, Randolph says the public has been so generous, they actually have a one-month moratorium on clothing donations because they don’t have enough storage. However, they can always use more simple, overnight food stuffs such as Ramen noodles or cans of soup. She said there are no storage issues with those items, because that food usually gets used right away.