Homeless had options over Holidays
It is incorrect to say there was nothing available for the homeless to stay warm in frigid weather on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, says Medicine Hat Community Housing Society.
“There was services available,” said Jaime Rogers, homeless and community housing manager.
There was the Kiwanis Christmas lunch at the Stampede grounds in the middle of the day and the Spirit of Christmas meal served around 5 p.m. at River Valley Community Centre in the Flats — a United Way funded project, said Rogers.
A man at the Champion Centre told the News last week it had taken him an hour to walk to the Stampede grounds.
“There’s been no gaps for anyone,” said Rogers, who believes transport could have been arranged or requests made to MHCHS or the Salvation Army for taxi vouchers.
Kiwanis offered transport to those who pre-registered for the Christmas lunch, said John John, one of the organizers. Pre-registration is required to have an address and telephone number for security reasons. Volunteers were available to transport those individuals. Those who did not pre-register and simply showed up, were not turned away.
“In terms of the gaps there were options available to people, whether they chose to engage with those or not,” said Rogers. “Our community partners do an exceptional job actually. I think some hype around the story, that nothing was available on Christmas Day, led to some misinformation.”
Rogers says options such as the Kiwanis lunch and the Spirit of Christmas made sure “people would not freeze to death.”
Between 15 and 17 people were in the Salvation Army homeless shelter on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They had to leave there by 7 a.m. The Salvation Army receives provincial funding to provide 12 hours of shelter overnight every day of the week.
The Champion Centre, located near the CP Rail station, provides a warm environment for the hungry, lonely and homeless to assemble and have breakfast free of charge. It also provides clothing and supportive living.
It receives some provincial funding through MHCHS for its “winter response” program. This funding allows it to remain open for a longer period from 7:30-11:30 a.m. every day of the week, said Rogers. The “winter response” operates only from Oct.1 to March 31 each year.
The Champion Centre (previously called The Champion’s Centre) also depends on private donations to operate.
The Salvation Army has a Resource Centre in the basement of the United Church downtown, behind the Thrift Store, where the homeless and lonely gather for social interaction, to stay warm and receive a hot meal Monday to Friday.
The Resource Centre was closed Dec. 25 and 26. The library and even Tim Hortons, where people often go to stay warm, were closed on Christmas Day.
Both the Champion Centre and the Salvation Army shelter were fulfilling their mandate for hours open based on the funding they receive.
A week later as temperatures dropped further the Salvation Army made the decision to keep its Resource Centre open Saturday, Sunday and New Year’s Day. Maj. Murray Jaster and his wife manned the centre Saturday and Sunday with another member of staff and some volunteers helping on Monday.
“That was the right thing to do,” said Jaster.
On New Year’s Day, when it had dropped to -36 C overnight with a wind chill of -44 C, Jaster authorized taxis to take people leaving the shelter and going to the Champion Centre. The cost was covered by donations for the Resource Centre, said Jaster.