It’s a harsh winter so far for the vulnerable in Sudbury, with shelters at capacity and more than 100 people living outdoors.
Greater Sudbury said it works with community partners to operate 77 shelter beds, but right now it’s not enough.
“Those have been at full capacity nearly every night and we have seen some people being turned away,” said Gail Spencer, manager of housing stability and homelessness for the City of Greater Sudbury.
“We have community outreach teams that go out speak to people who are staying out in encampments and we try to work with them to help them to find other safe places to stay temporarily.”
The city said there are about 125 people currently living in encampments.
“That’s why we have to diligently keep trying to create more warming opportunities and see how we can come closer to meeting the need out there,” said Ray Landry, the co-ordinator of the Homelessness Network.
Right now overnight warming centres are only open when it’s -15 or -20 with the wind chill or an extreme winter weather warning.
Spencer said the city is currently looking at options for warm overnight space throughout the winter.
“The city is certainly exploring all their options for making sure that people can stay safe and warm,” she said.
“We are looking at some temporary options for warming spaces or warming centres. We’ve been able to expand even just some safe places for people to be able to go in and sit within our emergency shelters.”
City officials said finding enough staffing is the biggest challenge for many community partners that help the homeless.
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