REGINA, Sask. — Following the decommissioning of the Pepsi Park encampment, nearby organizations such as Carmichael Outreach and the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre have been assisting people displaced from the park who are looking for a warm place to go.
As temperatures drop, local organizations are raising concerns about whether Regina has enough resources to support people experiencing homelessness heading into winter.
Travis Lumberjack, a reception worker at Carmichael Outreach, worries many Regina residents are turning a blind eye to the needs of those displaced from Pepsi Park.
“A lot of these people who were at Pepsi Park are good people. They’re somebody’s mother, somebody’s brother, somebody’s sister, somebody's family member, and I think that we should show a little more care and compassion for those who really need it,” Lumberjack said.
While he welcomes the opening of additional warming spaces, Lumberjack says gaps remain in the city's support system, particularly when it comes to transportation, mental health services and addictions counselling.
He says getting people from one place to another can be a significant barrier to accessing help.
John Whitestar, community outreach and support services manager at the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre, says the organization's outreach team — known as the Wicihitowin — works throughout the city to connect people with available services.
The team directs people — whom they refer to as “relatives” — to the Friendship Centre's programs, as well as other options, including the centre’s overnight warming shelter, which is scheduled to open next week.
The Friendship Centre currently has a capacity of 25 people, with another space undergoing renovations.
Whitestar says demand can quickly exceed the number of available beds, making additional help from the city increasingly important as winter approaches.
Whitestar also stresses that homelessness is influenced by a number of factors beyond the availability of housing, adding that it's important to remember that these are humans.
Lumberjack echoes that sentiment, saying people experiencing homelessness deserve the same understanding and compassion as anyone else.
“If you were to meet a lot of these people – they're great conversationalists. They have feelings like you and I,” he said.
In a statement, the City of Regina says all municipal warming spaces will be open seven days a week beginning Nov. 1.
Carmichael Outreach is located at 1510 12th Avenue, Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre at 1635 11th Avenue, and Awasiw is at 3115 5th Avenue.
The city says it distributes $1.1 million in provincial funding to Carmichael Outreach, the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre and Awasiw to operate and expand warming spaces.
Awasiw has already opened its overnight warming space early, operating 23 hours a day, seven days a week.
The city also says it is working with community organizations to monitor shelter capacities, connect people with support services and provide transportation services to people who want to access provincial government services.
A warming bus will also be activated during extreme weather events.
More information about warming space locations, hours and available services can be found here.
