The heat wave across the province of Alberta is creating a life threatening situation for some of Lethbridge’s most vulnerable.
Temperatures have been well above 30 degrees, which can be dangerous for those who are homeless and can’t escape the heat.
“We have about 80 to 100 people sleeping in our shelter every night and then we have people in encampment in the coulees,” Ashlynne Van Buuren, Supervisor for T.H.R.I.V.E Housing First program, said. “Our outreach teams all have sunscreen and we all have aloe vera gel to help people ease their burns. But I’d definitely say we’ve been busy trying to avoid heat stroke in our community.”
At the centre of the problem, a lack of affordable housing.
“The majority of rental properties are anywhere from $800 to $1,100 a month,” Van Buuren said. “That’s about average and most of our folks don’t have that much income.”
It’s an issue addressed by the city in it’s five year plan to end homelessness by 2019 and the driving philosophy behind the plan is housing first.
“We’ve been making slow improvements,” Mayor Chris Spearman said. “We have some more funding from the provincial government to provide housing now with the London Road projects but we need to continue working on providing homes for people.”
Events like ‘Shelter Me Party in the Park’ which took place on Saturday at Galt Gardens, was aimed to help those stuck outside and connect people with different support agencies.
It was also a day of free entertainment while educating people on the issues surrounding homelessness.
Brian Bielle knows first hand what it’s like to live without a roof over his head. Earlier this year he finally found a place to call home.
“I don’t have to be out on the street anymore, but I feel a lot for the other people out there,” Bielle said. “We really need the communities help to come and offer bottled water downtown to people, offer hats and sunscreen.”
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