As Toronto's cold snap continues, advocates who spent part of Wednesday handing out winter survival gear to people who aren't camping are urging the city to open two surge capacity warming centres.
The city opened two surge warming centers on Tuesday evening to provide extra capacity due to the cold, but they were closed on Wednesday after temperatures soared above -15 degrees Celsius.
As part of its winter services plan for people experiencing homelessness, the city opens its five warming centers when temperatures reach -5 degrees Celsius or when Environment Canada issues a winter weather event warning. It opens two surge warming centers when the temperature reaches -15°C.
Lorraine Lam, a member of the advocacy group Shelter and Housing Justice Network, said she was surprised to learn the city closed the surge centers Wednesday.
“We know, whether it's -15 or -13 degrees Celsius, it's still cold, and so, the fact that they've closed the surge sites, to me, is completely serious. Also, when they say they're going to. People Refer elsewhere, we know that shelters are full, we know that warming centers are basically at capacity, so where do they refer people?” Lam said.
“It's still cold here and the risk of cold injury and death is very real.”
Lam said the real solution to homelessness is “deeply affordable” nonprofit housing, but in the interim, the city needs to provide 24-hour low-barrier shelters for homeless people year-round, regardless of the weather.
“Being out in the elements with nowhere to go is dangerous,” Lam said. “What we really need are options for people to move in. To open and close at such arbitrary numbers, it's not realistic.”
Surge sites open when conditions 'particularly desperate': City
For its part, the city said it opened two surge warming centers Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Cecil Community Center, 58 Cecil St., and the Jimmy Simpson Recreation Center, 870 Queen St.
City spokeswoman Alice von Scheel said many people are living outside in Toronto and the winter service plan is there to boost the shelter system when conditions are “particularly desperate.”
“Those surge sites are available when the weather hits -15,” she said.
Currently, the centers are not available for temperatures above -15 degrees Celsius, but the city continues to provide space in five other warming centers for people in need, von Seel said.
“The warming centers are walk-ins, so people are welcome to come in and if there's no space at the particular location they come to, we help facilitate transportation to another area that has space.”
In a warming center notification Wednesday morning, the city said: “Staff are working to refer individuals who remain onsite to alternate locations in the shelter system.”
As of Wednesday, the following heat centers remain open:
- 136 Spadina Rd. (South of DuPont Street).
- 81 Elizabeth St. (behind City Hall, west of Bay St., south of Dundas Street W).
- 12 Holmes Ave (off Yonge St., south of Finch Ave E).
- 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd. (East of Markham Rd, South of Ellesmere Road).
- Metro Hall, 55 John St. (east of John St., north of Wellington Street W).
On its website, the city states: “Warming centers offer those who are vulnerable and may be experiencing homelessness a place to rest and access food, restroom facilities and referrals to emergency shelter.
“Individuals do not need to contact the central intake to access the warming centre.”
191 went away from night shelters in November
According to city statistics, an average of 191 people stayed away from the shelter system at night in November.
The number of people who were “actively homeless” in Toronto in the last three months was 10,460, according to the city.
It accommodated 11,672 people in its shelter on Tuesday night.
Environment Canada says the high Thursday will be -3 degrees Celsius, but the wind chill will make it feel like -19 in the morning and -9 in the afternoon. The high temperature on Friday is expected to be -2 degrees Celsius and the night low is expected to be -4 degrees Celsius.
