Staying warm overnight has led to a more productive day.
Overnight hours at United Way Perth-Huron’s Stratford Connection Centre at St. Paul’s Anglican Church have shown some positive impact for homeless and/or vulnerable residents, according to Team Resource Coordinator Sara McIntyre-Roy.
“During the day, now they are more rested and able to engage in case management with our staff here whereas in years past, often times people are coming in during the day and are tired because they’ve been outside trying to stay warm all night.”
McIntyre-Roy said staff see visitors come in with frost bite, trench foot from being in wet boots all day, and are struggling with mental and physical health.
“We do see an escalation in mental health concerns and substance use when the weather is adverse as it has been,” said McIntyre-Roy.
“It’s a survival strategy for a lot of individuals to help stay warm, awake and guard their belongings. With the warming centre open, it has protected people from the elements but we still see some of those adverse effects and we’ll probably continue to.
“It has provided us with an opportunity to do some really intentional work with folks and have some conversations about what their next steps look like because this is a short-term solution,” said McIntyre-Roy.
Despite these improvements, McIntyre-Roy said that accessing affordable and accessible housing is still a challenge and more rent-geared-to-income housing is needed.
Collaborations need to continue with community partners to put the wheels in motion for goals and to advocate with agencies, and local, municipal and provincial politicians for extra funding and prioritization of housing.
Stratford’s current winter season has seen heavy snowfall and weather warnings in the last month, affecting visitors.
Temperatures are expected to drop below -24 degrees Celsius overnight Tuesday.
According to McIntyre-Roy, an average of 20 people a night arrive at the centre.
Overnight hours of 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. will remain in effect until the spring season, when the connection centre reverts back to regular daytime hours.
