Cambridge man spends coldest night outdoors to raise awareness
CAMBRIDGE — Temperatures dropped to record-breaking lows Thursday morning, so one Cambridge man decided to camp outdoors.
Paul Tavares spent the night in a tent in Dickson Park to raise awareness about the plight of homeless people in the city.
It was the coldest night of the year so far — dropping to -16.1 C overnight — and ideal for Tavares to start his campaign and fundraiser.
“The upcoming cold weather was the driving force behind this,” the Cambridge man said.
“People are still homeless through the coldest weather.”
Two years ago, Tavares lived in a tent for 90 days to raise funds for local homeless shelters and local organizations that help the homeless. He surpassed his goal to raise $10,000 and ended up with $14,000 at the end of his three-month long camp-out.
Tavares is no stranger to living outside. He was briefly homeless twice in his life and has also stayed at the local shelter, Bridges.
“I was fine last night. I’m a winter person,” he said.
Tavares plans to spend 45 days camped out in Dickson Park. It was once his stomping grounds when he was temporarily homeless several years ago. He has a large, four-person tent with a makeshift bed made of blankets as well as a chair inside. The floor is lined with extra tarps to keep moisture out.
After a stint in Cambridge, he will set out on an ambitious provincewide campaign where he plans to spend 90 days and 90 nights camped outside in 13 different cities starting in the coldest one — Thunder Bay. He has also set a loftier fundraising goal this time around. He hopes to raise $150,000.
“I think I can easily make that happen,” he added.
He plans to spend one week in each city starting in Thunder Bay on Jan. 6.
Cambridge is in the midst of a homelessness crisis. Tents are popping up in parks and conservation areas across the city.
Tavares thinks his campaign can have even more of an impact now that homelessness has become such a hot-button issue in Cambridge.
“It’s so public now so I want myself to get more public attention as well to raise awareness,” he said.
Tavares said he is working with the city to get permission to stay in Dickson Park as part of his campaign. He said he has already received several visits from the city’s new ambassador team — a group of people who respond to complaints of overnight camping and also help with needle cleanup. His last fundraiser was on public property between Ainslie and Water streets; he received permission from Shoppers Drug Mart to camp there for the duration of his three-month campaign.
For more information about Tavares’ campaign, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/90daysandnights.
The upcoming cold weather was the driving force behind this. People are still homeless through the coldest weather. PAUL TAVARES