'We don't turn anyone away': How organizations are helping Winnipeg's most vulnerable during cold snap
'We don't turn anyone away': How organizations are helping Winnipeg's most vulnerable during cold snap
An extreme cold warning is in effect for Winnipeg, and as temperatures dip to dangerous levels, some shelters are at – or even over – capacity.
“We’re managing with a whole lot of help from our friends… and I have to say there’s been area churches, service organizations, individuals that have stepped up all throughout our coverage area,” Marion Willis, St. Boniface Street Links executive director, told CTV News.
St. Boniface Street Links pop-up shelter is open 24/7, has rooms for up to 20 people, and guests don’t have to leave during the day.
“We don’t turn anyone away,” Willis explained. “We may not have a mattress for everybody, but you know, we have a couch… seating area… you can play crib, play cards, just sit and visit.”
Willis said people access shelters for a myriad of reasons, but during cold snaps like the one hovering over Winnipeg, there is a commonality to their needs.
“It’s really, really cold out there, and when people get here, they’re really happy to have a quiet, safe, warm place.”
It’s a similar story at Siloam Mission where all 143 beds at the shelter are spoken for.
"We’ve been at capacity for some time now and with the cold snap, that usually just means more people on the waiting list, more people where we’re trying to find other places to go once we know we’re full up for the night,” Luke Thiessen, Siloam’s communication manager, told CTV News.
Despite these two shelters being at capacity, Thiessen said there are enough beds citywide for unsheltered people.
"But they might not be in the right place, might not be set up with the right tools for the people that need that,” Thiessen said.
Thiessen added the choice of where people experiencing homelessness spend the night can be a complicated matter.
"A lot of factors play into that – but I think that whether it’s not knowing what’s available, not feeling comfortable with what’s available, or just temporarily being between places."
One service looking to address that is Manitoba 211.
"If someone sees someone and they say, I don't quite know what to do, if they call us - we can dispatch or connect to an outreach van either through a warm transfer or warm handoff, and those trained professionals can go help the individual with whatever needs they have,” Manitoba 211 director Daniel Leonard told CTV News.
Manitoba 211 is a partnership between the province and United Way that was first introduced during the pandemic. The free service connects callers to several government and community agencies - including organizations like Siloam Mission and St. Boniface Street Links.
"There are so many different outreach vans and programs that are able to help people who are on the street when it’s cold.”
Leonard said that could mean access to shelter, food, or other necessities.
However, emergency services should be contacted if an individual is unresponsive or in medical distress.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
U.S. authorities are investigating a group of people swimming toward a pod of spinner dolphins off Hawaii's Big Island. The department alleges that the swimmers were 'harassing the pod' as the dolphins were swimming away.
The Conservatives are raising concerns over the appointment of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc's sister-in-law as the interim federal conflict of interest and ethics commissioner. The government says there is an 'ethical screen' in place to prevent any conflict.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' the theories backed by 15th-century 'papal bulls' that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.
A Saskatoon murder trial is being adjourned to allow police to follow-up on "significant information" that just came to the Crown prosecutor's attention Wednesday.
CTV News has learned a dog that attacked a five-year-old boy last week had been declared dangerous in February 2022, but the city had lost track of the owner a year ago.
The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' the theories backed by 15th-century 'papal bulls' that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.
A 2021 plane crash at the Westlock Airport was caused by an "unstable visual approach" to the landing runway, a Transportation Safety Board investigator has found.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
A coroner has denied a request from a former Toronto police officer to explore a theory that a distraught teen he shot was committing "suicide by cop."
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
A young man found wounded late Wednesday night in the parking lot of a shopping centre in northeast Montreal is believed to be the victim of an earlier shooting in the same area. Montreal police (SPVM) reported Thursday morning that the 18-year-old man's life was no longer in danger.
A new regulation that comes into effect Thursday in Quebec prohibits the feeding of white-tailed deer outside of hunting season, from Dec. 1 to Aug. 31, except on l'ile d'Anticosti.
Parents had their say at a Vimy Ridge Public School town hall as the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board addressed concerns around harassment and bullying.
Two-and-a-half years after it was established, Nova Scotia’s Mass Casualty Commission has recommended sweeping changes to everything from gun control to mental health services, although there’s no guarantee any will ever be implemented.
The Riverview Hospital itself has been closed for more than a decade, but 289 people are currently receiving treatment for mental health, addictions or both at the old site.
