‘No one deserves to freeze to death’: Calgary’s homeless brace for winter during pandemic

CALGARY (CityNews) — A blast of winter isn’t uncommon for Calgarians, but this is the first time that people will be restricted from being able to get inside and huddle away from the cold.

Chaz Smith and the team at Be The Change YYC have been working hard throughout the pandemic to make sure that those experiencing homelessness don’t get forgotten about.

“No one deserves to have to freeze to death outside in the cold.”

Their team has been handing out emergency supplies, like warm winter clothing, emergency blankets, and tents.

Shelters faced with physical distancing protocols are working to keep some of the city’s most vulnerable safe under challenging circumstances.

“We don’t want people to sleep outside, but if that’s the only option, we want that to be made safer because we ultimately want people to stay alive.”

Smith says that a single case of COVID-19 could be the difference between a warm place to sleep or trying to find comfort on snowy streets.

WATCH: Calgary’s homeless brace for winter during pandemic 

“People aren’t aware that if there is one more case at the Drop-In Centre, or the Alpha House, or the Mustard Seed, they’re going to have to scale down those beds again. It’s going to be shut for another 30-day period, and this is the cycle that we’ve been going through for eight months now.”

Alpha House posted to social media Saturday, reminding Calgarians of the complexity of navigating a pandemic while homeless.

The Calgary Drop-In Centre also posted Saturday, asking for donations of warm winter clothing.

But Smith says that asking for community support is just a temporary solution.

“By this time, we absolutely should have had solutions activated.”

He says the pandemic has highlighted failings in dealing with the underlying issues of homelessness.

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