Regina shelters send out call for help after latest cold snap

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Warming centres in Regina were at full capacity during a recent extreme cold snap, which frontline workers say reiterates the critical need for more resources to house vulnerable residents in the city.

Regina made the top 10 list of coldest places in the world last week, dipping as low as -40 C for several days in a row.

The frigid temperatures marked the second multi-day extreme weather warning in Regina this winter, bringing another heightened period of danger for people living unhoused and exposed to the elements.

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“It’s disheartening to see people outside in this,” Madi Massier, a co-ordinator with The Hawk Principle, said at the end of the deep freeze.

The Hawk Principle — a community service group that supports people experiencing houselessness — opened a warming space earlier this month in the former Trinity United Church. Massier said demand was especially high during the cold snap, with people doing their best to find refuge.

This reality is not new, added Massier, and the latest round of extreme cold only served to highlight the critical need for more safe spaces in Regina.

The city’s most recent point-in-time count showed that the number of individuals living in a state of homelessness has quadrupled since 2015 — outpacing the number of overnight beds and warming spaces currently available.

“The fact that there’s all these grassroots efforts going on is because people are noticing there’s a clear need, that people are desperate for help,” said Massier. “It’s more than urgent — it’s inhumane, and it’s completely sad.”

Soolee Ironchild, kokum in residence at Queen City Wellness Pharmacy, said she brewed 21 pots of coffee in one day last week for those who stopped in to take a nap or just to warm up.

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“We’ve had a lot of people in with bad colds, chest infections, ear infections, frozen fingertips, toes, legs, (but) what concerns me more is the deterioration of people’s mental health,” said Ironchild.

“Shelters are overcrowded, and some are just trying to find the warmest place to sleep without freezing. I felt like some of the people were just giving up.”

Community wellness co-ordinator Melanie Kingston said Awasiw — the warming space operated by All Nations Hope Network — also faced a standing-room-only scenario last week.

An average of about 300 people visit All Nations Hope daily in the winter, said Kingston. Donations of food, coffee, warm clothing and hand warmers have been much appreciated but, like most non-profits, need continues to outweigh supply.

“We are doing the best with what we have, but we are still falling short,” Kingston said. “There are still gaps that need to be filled.”

Asked what would help the organization keep up with demand, Kingston’s answer was swift: “housing.”

“We need more low-barrier shelter than anything, especially with the prices of rent going up, and food and living costs,” she said.

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It would also help if Awasiw could secure the necessary funding to once again offer its warming space 24 hours a day, Kingston added, noting that none of the city’s current providers have been able to fill the gap since Awasiw had to cut back operations in 2022.

All three centres welcome continued donations, emphasizing the demand for mittens, socks, snacks and hot coffee. There remains a need for those necessities even as temperatures rise this week.

The city is currently renovating the former Regina Eagles Club into a permanent homeless shelter, which is expected to be a bed-for-bed replacement of the temporary shelter at The Nest Health Centre downtown and on track to open by July.

It also deployed a warming bus during the heart of last week’s freeze, running nightly from Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 on a circuit from various stops downtown to Awasiw. More than 100 people utilized the bus over those four nights.

Massier said the bus did help keep some people from having to walk in the bitter cold, but added that it was “disappointing” the city didn’t take further action.

Massier feels there should be a more robust cold weather plan in place given Regina’s locale. That could include opening a community centre as an emergency measure to protect residents in need.

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“It’s not a surprise that it’s Saskatchewan and it’s minus 50 in February,” Massier said. “It feels like just a systemic failure.”

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