Salvation Army Warming Centre Plays Vital Role During Extreme Weather
With January comes the cold and the snow. While for many people this is only an issue when they are outside of their homes, for those experiencing homelessness it can be a matter of life and death.
The Salvation Army in Barrie, Ont., runs a warming centre throughout the winter to keep people without shelter safe. The county mandates that warming centres be activated if temperatures fall below -10 C. However, The Salvation Army’s warming centre opens even in warmer temperatures.
“We are free to open the warming centre even if it doesn’t hit that threshold if we believe there will be inclement weather. And for us, that is most nights. I can’t imagine spending the night outside, even if it’s -5 C, or 0 C,” Nathan Sykes, executive director at The Salvation Army in Barrie explains.
“It is about creating a welcoming atmosphere and helping people get more information about resources that they could use.”
Barrie’s warming centre is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. It has eight available mats for people to sleep on. However, more guests can access the centre if they need to escape the cold. Inside, they can expect warm drinks and conversation.
“It is about creating a welcoming atmosphere and helping people get more information about resources that they could use so that they don’t have to rely on the warming centre. We try to get them connected to some more of our services,” Nathan adds.
Some of these services include housing or food assistance.
The city of Barrie has two warming centres. The Salvation Army’s location is central, making it easily accessible and serving as a lifeline during extreme cold weather.
“In the evening, if I’m out and I see someone on the street, I’ll encourage them to come to the warming centre. We try to spread the message that it’s available,” Nathan says.
The community can support the warming centre with donations and by volunteering.
“A lot of people who come in are shell-shocked, cold, and just feeling down and hopeless.”
“For the warming centre, the best donations are blankets, pre-packaged food items so people can take it with them, hot chocolate, coffee, gloves and toques—the type of things that we can provide to people when they come in but also that they can take with them when they go back outside.” adds Nathan.
Volunteers are encouraged to visit the warming centre and engage with the guests.
“A lot of people who come in are shell-shocked, cold, and just feeling down and hopeless. They are oftentimes lonely and are just looking for that connection. They are looking for attachment with other people,” Nathan says.
Many guests have expressed gratitude for the availability of this safe space, according to Nathan.
Looking ahead, The Salvation Army in Barrie is hoping to expand the centre’s services to go beyond the winter months.
“We do have some preliminary plans to retrofit some of our space in the building so that it can be more year-round accessible for those community services that we want to run,” says Nathan. “We would love to not only operate the warming centre all year, but we’d also like to expand for a cooling centre in the summertime.”
By Juan Romero
