City of Ottawa working around the clock to bring homeless inside during frigid times

“We’re always looking at more options.”

Published Jan 18, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 2 minute read

Homelessness: ‘With custom and practice you develop a routine and by nightfall you have just enough strength to eat and fall asleep,’ writes Peter Boyle. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

With temperatures plunging during the current cold snap, the City of Ottawa’s Unsheltered Task Force is opening up additional temporary spots to house every homeless person who wants to get inside.

“During extreme cold weather events, outreach services operate on a 24-hour basis to connect with unsheltered individuals,” said Kale Brown, manager of Homeless Programs and Shelters.

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Since Jan. 10, the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, next to Britannia Beach, has become an additional overnight option for those who have been sleeping on the streets or in tent encampments. If necessary, the city has provided a taxi chit service to bring people inside.

The temperature is expected to hit -22 C on Friday, -19 C on Saturday and -18 C on Sunday, and the task force aims to provide a “solution oriented dialogue” with those remaining on the streets.

As of Thursday, the city estimated that approximately 190 residents remained unsheltered. Outreach services, in conjunction with additional partners, stockpile additional supplies for those remaining outside during the winter.

The city’s fixed shelter options, including the Ottawa Mission, the Shepherds of Good Hope, the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope, the Dempsey Community Centre and the Bernard Grandmaître Arena — are at full capacity.

As of Dec. 3, those shelters were home to 1,065 people, including 669 adult men, 232 adult women, 199 mixed-gender and 60 youths.

The city has opened an additional overflow centre at the Heron Community Centre, which has 212 beds. Bunk beds have been added to increase capacity at all overflow locations.

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“We’re always looking at more options,” Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr said.

That includes investigating at more permanent solutions, including adding large “sprung structures” — military-style fixtures including aluminum and all-weather fabrics — that have been employed in other Canadian cities to address homelessness concerns.

They typically include small internal cabin spaces with fridges and are connected to utility and hydro services.

But Carr says it can take up to eight months to put those in place.

There is no set location in Ottawa for that kind of structure, which must be on city-owned land with appropriate zoning by-laws in place.

“A review of resource needs, including land search and options analysis, has been initiated,” Brown said. “Staff are also examining the feasibility of operationalizing local warming centres across the city.”

Even in the most chilling of circumstances, some citizens choose to remain outside.

“There will always be people who chose to live unsheltered, whether it’s couples wishing to stay together or whether there’s a dog,” Carr said.

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