The recent frigid weather is creating desperation among the town's homeless population and frustration among social service workers trying to help.
With temperatures dipping well below -20C with the wind, the Howe Sound Women's Centre has seen significant increases in drop-ins, according to centre support worker Heather Newman. The centre has been forgoing policy to allow men to enter for a few minutes' shelter in an area that is usually reserved as a haven for women.
Newman said she feels obligated to help because there's nowhere else to send the impoverished residents living outdoors. "There's nothing here, absolutely nothing," said Newman. "And it's very, very difficult to turn somebody away when you know they're going to go sleep out in the bush in their tent. It's terrible. It's really heartbreaking."
Women and families have also approached the centre in droves for warm clothing. Newman is asking the community to help by donating hats, gloves, socks, heavy winter coats and boots to Pearl's Seconds on Cleveland Ave.
Social assistance organizations throughout the community are trying to coordinate efforts with provincial agencies and churches, according to Julia Bresalier of Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS). But so far, workers can only direct homeless residents seeking shelter to Vancouver.
On Monday (Nov. 27), Vancouver's Salvation Army issued a Level III extreme cold weather alert due to wind chill temperatures of -18C. The alert meant that shelters in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside opened up more spaces to accommodate the homeless.
But directing the local homeless to Vancouver is problematic, said Bresalier, since a low-income hinders the ability to travel.Another problem, said SSCS addictions worker Chris McKay, is that addicts often abuse substances to stay warm, which heightens the risk of weather-related harm.
"The risks of frostbite and hypothermia are very high," said McKay, adding she wants to see an emergency process established for extremely cold days that would give people overnight shelter and food. "It's much more humane plus efficient to provide people with a cup of coffee and food and keep them inside rather than them ending up either in the hospital for one of those conditions or dead."
As of Thursday afternoon, one unidentified person was admitted to Squamish General Hospital.
Mayor Ian Sutherland said the district is attempting to address the homeless population's needs with a drop-in centre, which is expected to open within two weeks. But implementation of more involved measures, such as an overnight shelter, is challenge.
"Strictly speaking it's a provincial responsibility, but all the service groups are trying to find a way to deal with it," said Sutherland. "It's a tough one to figure out because you need a location, you need staff, you need all kinds of things to make it happen. We're going to keep on looking for solutions, but so far no luck."
