January’s extreme cold has put an additional strain on North Bay’s Warming Centre.
“The past few weeks have been incredibly busy. We are at our limit, and often over our limit, on a nightly basis. We have 12 cots, but it is not uncommon for us to have two or three people in chairs. It is not uncommon for us to have 15 people, maybe even 16 a night,” said Dennis Chippa executive director of the Gathering Place.
He says this January is by far the busiest they have encountered.
“When we opened, even last year when we were going to go five nights a week, 7 or 8 was a big night. To be this full all the time is incredible. We’ve openly admitted, and I’ve not been shy about it, that we recognized within a few weeks of being open, that our facility is not big enough to handle the numbers we’re getting in.”
The sheer volume of people looking for assistance is putting added pressure on the volunteers.
“It puts a big stress on us because, at the same time, we’re implementing some stuff on our own. We’re providing the food, it puts a strain on us in a financial way. We pay rent, but we also have staff working extra hours trying to get stuff ready,” said Chippa.
“It is a strain because we pay for our laundry, so it is 12 to 14 people a night and we’re doing their laundry, bedding. So it is a huge strain on us, most especially on our volunteers. It is becoming a real grind for them.”
The Warming Centre is going to take advantage of the anticipated warmer nights to close for the weekend, and possibly Monday.
“We took a look at the forecast, and we traditionally wouldn’t have been open on those nights. When we were temperature based, we would never have opened these next three nights. We’ve been telling folks coming in for the past few nights, that chances were good that we would be closing for a few nights,” said Chippa.
“It is just a chance for us to get some cots put away, clean up, get it really restructured and ready for February because there’s not a huge break in the weather. By the middle of next week, temperatures are supposed to drop again, so we have to be ready.”
In addition to those spending the night, others drop in to grab a coffee and maybe some soup, and they’re gone again.
“There have been nights when we’ve had 60 people drop in for coffee. We’re open at 6 o’clock, so that is when it starts.”
The added demand is putting a strain on supplies.
“We’re donation based. We are good on warm clothing, but we can always use more coffee. Our tea supply is good, but we’re going through coffee a lot faster than normal. And along with that, sugar. And we can always use baked goods. People ask us if they can bring in some home baking, and our folks love that.”
Chippa says his organization has been working at finding accommodations for those in need of a safe place to stay.
“We actually have staff working in our outreach office to try and find these folks places to live. It is so far out of our mandate it is not even close. But we actually have staff in our outreach office for a couple hours a day trying to see if we can find places for these folks so they’re not homeless anymore.”
