Dear Out of the Cold Supporters,The Out of the Cold Shelter was open for 160 nights between November 22, 2010 and April 30, 2011. Overall we saw over 180 individual guests this past winter. We can accommodate up to 15 guests each night and were at capacity 67% of nights during this past season (107 nights in total). In 2009 / 2010 we were at capacity for 43% of the season.
In addition to the increase in nights at capacity, we also had a rise in the number of turnaways, which we define as individuals who come to OTCS looking to stay the night but cannot access a bed because we are at capacity. This season there were 222 turnaways, a large increase from 2009 / 2010’s 75 turnaways.
Each night shelter staff did two call-arounds to the other shelters in the HRM to inquire about bed availability. This was, first and foremost, to ensure we had up-to-date information to pass along to guests who were interested in other options and also to see if other spaces shared our issues with capacity. In the 160 nights we were open shelter spaces for youth (ages 16-24 inclusive) were full 39% of the time (59 nights). Shelter spaces for men were at capacity 21% of the season (33 nights) however this statistic jumps to 34% when you look at the number of nights that beds in a harm-reduction facility for men was full. Men and youth were the two largest demographics that we served. Statistics regarding these demographics will be available once we have been able to enter all of our intake forms into the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS).
THE HOUSING CRISIS HAS LED TO A SHELTER CRISIS
As you can see, the Out of the Cold Shelter served a real need in our community this winter, and even this service is not enough. We are experiencing a housing crisis where there are not enough affordable, safe, accessible and supportive units. Over the course of the winter it became obvious to us that we were not only experiencing a housing crisis, but a shelter crisis as well. Shelters are not the solution to homelessness, but even as a temporary stop-gap measure, there were not enough shelter beds and services in the city to meet the growing need.
POLITICAL ACTION
At the wrap-up volunteer meeting for Out of the Cold it was apparent that there was a lot of interest in and energy for political engagement around the various issues we see while operating the shelter. Issues that include, but are not limited to:
-lack of affordable housing-lack of supportive housing
-lack of mental health supports
-lack of detox beds
-no municipal-wide emergency weather procedure in
The Out of the Cold Shelter aims to be active in our communities around this issue and fight on a broader level for affordable housing and an adequate shelter system. We are in the process of reviving our “Political Action Committee” which organizes together to tackle the broader issues of homelessness and housing. There will be a meeting on Monday June 27 from 6-7:30pm at Saint Matthew’s United Church (1479 Barrington Street)
If you would like to join with us, please get in touch! You can get in touch through halifaxwintershelter@gmail.com or call 225-0770. If you cannot make it to the first meeting please contact us to be added to any future listserve and receive any minutes and updates.
SUMMER PLANS
We have two staff working with the Out of the Cold Shelter this summer thanks to a few employment grants. Jordan Roberts and Caitlyn Chappell will be dedicating their time this summer to making sure that the Out of the Cold Shelter is able to be up and running next winter. They’ll be taking on grant writing, revising policy, networking, political action, and cleaning/reorganizing the space! You can get in touch with Caitlyn (taking over from Capp Larsen) at this email address:
halifaxwintershelter@gmail.com or 225-0770. You can contact Jordan at
volunteerotcs@gmail.com and at 225-0770 as well.
NEXT YEAR
Over the last few months we’ve been exploring the idea of changing the model of Out of the Cold to try to offer something that is a bit more stable and supportive, rather than a band-aid solution that in many ways is not sustainable. We’ve talked about how to offer some form of supportive housing or extended drop-in and advocacy program. We are in the beginning stages of re-visioning what it is that we do. The Out of the Cold Shelter cost about $80,000 this season and we had over 100 volunteers dedicating their time. What other activities or models of shelter can we provide with those resources? We’ll be exploring these things over the summer months. We have decided to open our doors as the familiar Out of the Cold Shelter for the 2011-2012 winter season with the intention that things may change in future years. If you’d like to be part of these discussions, please get in touch!
VOLUNTEERING
We will be seeking a dedicated volunteer base again in the fall for the 2011-2012 season. The Out of the Cold Shelter cannot run without the amazing and energized work of all of our volunteers. Please take some time this summer to think about whether volunteering next winter is something you can commit to. If you’d like to talk about volunteering opportunities and responsibilities, please contact Jordan Roberts at volunteerotcs@gmail.com
THANK YOU!
Last but not least, THANK YOU to everyone who put so much effort into running the Out of the Cold Shelter this year. If you volunteered to work shifts at the shelter, provided food or sandwiches, delivered food or laundry, helped at clean-up parties, organized a fundraiser or donation from your group, offered services from a partnering organization, designed our website, or any other of the necessary tasks that it takes to operate a community-run shelter, THANK YOU!! We honestly could not do this without you!
In Solidarity,
Out of the Cold
