Homeless doing what they can to survive deep cold
They dot the industrial streets of Metro Vancouver: Little communities of RVs, campers and vans, right there in plain sight, the people living in them often invisible.
“Yes, invisible, I feel that way all the time,” Melinda Bergstron said after stepping out of the van she and her partner, Clay, live in to talk to a reporter. “But I like it like that, being invisible.”
Feeling invisible, however, is one thing. Getting through these cold winter nights is another.
The local forecast has temperatures dipping as low as -7 C over the next few nights. Shelters have been preparing for an overflow with the Arctic cold front that has planted itself over the South Coast, plunging temperatures to five or 10 degrees lower than normal for this time of year.
As Bergstron talks, the noon sun is brilliant, if low, in the sky. The weather app says it is 3 C.
“It’s warmer out here than it is in there,” she said, pointing to the crowded van that holds every possession she and Clay have, including a Maple Leaf flag waving from the antenna, a quilted “Good Morning Gorgeous” sign, and an empty propane tank strapped to the back.
“We usually use a propane stove for heat and keep a window open a crack, but money is tight right now,” she said.
So instead of heat, the couple climbs under 10 blankets.
“It’s freezing. We shiver all night, but cuddling helps.”
The couple’s van is one of up to a dozen vehicles that can be found at Slocan St. and East 12th Ave. in East Vancouver on an average day.
The latest city of Vancouver homeless count, taken last March, found 2,181 homeless people, while the Metro Vancouver youth-homeless count in the fall found at least 681 homeless youth.
Vancouver and the provincial government have four main initiatives for cold weather:
900 permanent shelter beds for those sleeping on the streets;
10 temporary shelters providing 298 beds in total through March;
Community centres and public library branches offer warmth and hot drinks when the temperature drops to -5 C;
The province opens temporary shelter space during extreme weather alerts from the Homelessness Services Association of B.C. (they have been open since Feb. 2).
On Tuesday night, 97 people used Vancouver warming shelters — the highest number so far this winter.
“This extremely cold weather facing Vancouver is especially dangerous for people sleeping outside, and we are urging everyone to come inside to the safety of the warming centres and extremeweather response shelters,” a City of Vancouver spokeswoman said.
Bergstron, 38, and her partner had permanent roofs over their heads for eight of the 10 years they have been together. Each struggles with drug addiction.
“We just can’t afford to live anywhere, especially in Vancouver,” Bergstron said. “Things have to get better. I have to believe that.”
She and Clay have an interview lined up on Friday for temporary modular housing. Bergstron has her fingers crossed.