'You don't sleep that's for sure': How London's most vulnerable get by on extremely cold days
Temperatures are expected to drop to -24 C with windchill overnight Friday and into Saturday morning
With a cold weather alert in place, frigid temperatures and snow squalls have taken hold of London's streets. For those sleeping rough, poor weather conditions have made it challenging to find a warm shelter.
Jerry Wright and his wife have been unhoused for nearly nine years now. He says that although there are many warming centres across the city, the hours they can access them are limited.
"There's places open that we can go warm up, but they let us in at 10 o'clock at night, and they kick us out at 7 o'clock in the morning," he told CBC News. "The spaces aren't being used during the day, so why can't we stay there?"
Wright believes there are many empty buildings in the city that could be turned into shelters, he said, standing outside a downtown hub that serves warm meals and clothing items to those in need.
"There's nowhere for us to go. They're [the city] kicking us out of the downtown core. It makes it hard for us to get to places, causes more crime, fighting, and overdoses. We don't need that," he said.
Wright says he's thankful that he has a bed at First St. Andrew's Church until March. If he didn't have one, he'd have to stay warm by constantly moving around and trying his luck in other places, he said, adding that it's tough to find beds anywhere due to the high volume of need.
"With how many beds there are [compared] to how many people that show up, you'd be lucky to get a bed once a month," he said.
During cold weather alerts, the City of London has dedicated warming centres open at the following locations:
- East Lions Community Centre, located at 1731 Churchill Avenue
- North London Optimist Community Centre, located at 1345 Cheapside Street.
- South London Community Centre, located at 1119 Jalna Boulevard.
'It's not easy'
Although he alternates between shelters at the Ark Aid Mission and the Unity Project, James Dowler admits that he worries every day about what the next night will look like and if he'll be able to find a place to sleep, he said.
"You make do with what you got, I make it work, sometimes I'll go to a lobby," he said. "All you're looking for is a warm place really."
Dowler struggles with security guards who often kick him out, but he understands they're just doing their jobs, he said.
"I got a spot at the Ark tonight, but it's not easy. I do worry about showering and not losing my stuff. I've been stabbed before, and it's not safe," he added.
The 32-year-old, who is living on disability, says that skyrocketing rent prices are not affordable for him and that increasing social assistance can help him out significantly, he said.
A 'concerning' increase in need
"It's definitely concerning. There are more individuals in need of a space, especially on days like this, than there are spaces, unfortunately," said Len Hughes of the London InterCommunity Health Centre.
Hughes' team has an increasing number of people needing medical treatment for weather-related conditions like frostbite and exposure, he said.
Hughes says that although agencies providing services to the unhoused are doing their best, they're not short of their own staffing and volunteer challenges, with many workers commuting from other parts of southwestern Ontario.
On Friday, the Salvation Army delivered coffee and meals to people along Dundas Street. For Apollo Goncalves, that gesture was life-saving, he said.
Goncalves' plan for the rest of the day is to knock on doors and shovel snow to make some extra money, he said. On other nights, he tries to catch warm air blowing from exhaust fans outside commercial buildings, he said.
"It's way too cold to be out here and not have something to warm up with, there just isn't enough space for everybody, and unfortunately, some of us have to stay outside," he said. "We don't sleep, that's for sure. You can't sleep when it's that cold."
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With files from Marichka Meylnk