Outreach agencies in Calgary are doing their best to keep the city’s homeless safe in our frigid weather, but they often run into a challenge that may surprise some.
Many of the homeless people who live in about forty makeshift camps across the city, have no desire to come in from the cold.
“You can sleep with your better half and you have more freedom out here”, says Katrina Lloyd.
Substance abuse is another reason – shelters have strict rules about the use of drugs and alcohol.
Staff with outreach addictions programs provide the camps with propane heaters and plenty of blankets, but it’s a delicate balancing act
“We want to provide those but not make it as comfortable,” says Adam Melnyk of Alpha House. “We want to push them towards shelters as much as we can.”
READ MORE: Police find man dead at southwest homeless camp
Bylaw officers make daily rounds, acting largely as social workers. They only use fines, up to $100, as a last resort.
“We certainly don’t lead with the ticket”, says Jody St. Pierre, a community support officer with Bylaw Services. “Some people do inevitably become charged. It’s a more permanent situation than sleeping out in our parks and natural areas.”
Last weekend police found the body of a homeless man inside a tent near the Shaganappi golf course. Medical officers can’t confirm yet whether he died of exposure, but the discovery is renewing calls to dismantle the homeless camps and get vulnerable Calgarians into shelters.
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