In response to the first major cold weather event of 2024, the City of Calgary and agencies in the homeless sector have begun enacting a response plan to get individuals into shelters and away from life-threatening cold.

The risk to individuals has been characterized by those serving in the homeless sector as extreme, with overnight lows forecast in Calgary by Environment Canada at between -33 Celsius and -38 Celsius, and highs between -27 from Jan. 11 to 13.

“With prolonged exposure to freezing temperature, individuals are at high risk of experiencing cold weather-related health issues such as frostbite and hypothermia,” said Jeff Schoen, Manager of Emergency Shelter at the Calgary Drop-in Centre (DI).

“We have an established winter response plan that includes ensuring we have adequate space for anyone who needs it. As the cold presents a real and credible danger, no one will ever be turned away. We work with everyone who comes to our doors to find appropriate shelter and housing, whether it’s here at the Drop-in Centre, or one of our community partners.”

Schoen said that the DI expects that over the next several days there will be an increase in the number of individuals seeking shelter and that they have more than 1,000 spots available including those in overflow emergency shelter spaces if needed.

The DI has been serving up to 800 people daily he said, and is currently operating 24/7.

Agencies working around the clock to help

The City of Calgary said on Wednesday, that city agencies have been taking steps to ensure that any unhoused individuals can get to a shelter like the DI.

“Taking a compassion-first approach, our priority is to ensure that every Calgarian who needs a warm place to shelter during the upcoming cold weather has access to one,” said Kay Choi, Community Safety and Wellbeing Lead for the City of Calgary.

The goal, said the City of Calgary, is to help individuals on a short-term basis while at the same time directing them into long-term housing programs.

“We know that the decision to access shelters is complex. We do encourage Calgarians experiencing vulnerabilities to go to shelters to protect themselves from winter conditions, like frostbite, injury and potential loss of life. It is the safest option,” said Choi.

The Calgary Homeless Foundation said they have activated their Coordinated Community Extreme Weather Response plan, which they say is a collaborative approach to addressing the danger posed by the current cold weather.

Matt Nomura, Vice President of Strategic Investments and Community Impact for the Calgary Homeless Foundation, outlined that plan, which involves 19 different agencies and partners and provides for an additional 450 daytime warming locations across the city.

“We got a location open in the Northwest with Journey Church, Inglewood with Woods Home, and the most busy, one is actually downtown with the Mustard Seed,” he said.

Transport shuttle, services available to get individuals into shelter

Another important step being taken, said Nomura, was a shuttle service that connects people looking for warmth at LRT stations with shelter space at the DI and Alpha House.

“This is actually quite critical. This runs seven days a week and is in partnership with Calgary Transit and the Alpha House health team. It runs seven days a week from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. focusing on the south and northeast train lines,” he said.

“The intent behind all of this is to ensure that we are having conversations with people that are at the transit station, providing options and transportation to get to shelter overnight.”

That service has, since November 1, 2023, served over 1,000 individuals, and that number is expected to rise over the next few days.

The message, said Nomura, is that when it gets to -30C, -40C, being outside is no place for anyone for any extended period.

“We would encourage everyone to get indoors and have a conversation about what their next steps are going to look like. The whole point around trauma-informed and person-centered care is meeting people where they are at,” Nomura said.

“Sometimes the decision is ‘no, I don’t want to go,’ but we’re fortunate in the city where our outreach teams are relentless in their pursuit of having these conversations. More often than not, what you do find is individuals will go, and you just never know when one of these conversations can change somebody’s life.”

Bus shelter advertising is also being used

Part of the recent efforts to meet unhoused individuals with support has been through bus shelter advertising by the foundation, which lists out services available to unhoused individuals for support (a PDF copy of that advertisement including support service numbers is available at the end of this story).

“This was a City of Calgary initiative to get this onto platforms, bus stalls, you name it. Anywhere that we can advertise to show that there are resources, because there are resources available in our city, and how to access them,” said Nomura.

He said that the feedback has been that advertising has been useful and that it has complemented booklets of information given out to unhoused individuals with support service contact information.

The overall message of being compassionate was also echoed by Nomura, especially as the danger to life increases.

“I mean, at the end of the day, you see someone in serious distress, please call 911. Or call the HELP team if you see someone who needs help. That’s our responsibility I think as human beings, just to afford kindness,” Nomura said.

“It’s a devastating and traumatic experience, homelessness, and this has often deadly consequences.”

The HELP team can be reached at 403-998-7388.