With extreme cold ahead, Sudbury groups provide support for the vulnerable

The bitter winter wind is expected to feel much colder, leading to an extreme cold alert being issued for Sudbury.

When temperatures dip down to -15 or -20 with the wind chill, the Greater Sudbury works with the Homelessness Network and their six agencies to offer additional support for those who don’t have a place to get warm.

“It’s obviously going to be the coldest night of the year so far this winter,” said Raymond Landry, Homelessness Network coordinator.

“Our outreach van will be out there for sure. The warming station at the Samaritan Centre will be open for sure. We will encourage our team to fill every available bed of the shelter, for women and for men.”

The Homelessness Network said outreach workers will be driving in their van to communicate and help the city’s most vulnerable to give them what they need to stay warm or give them a ride to a warming centre.

Since the pandemic began, the need for services has increased and continues with the high cost of living.

“People with the economy have grown poorer, so they have less access to resources, there’s more food bank use, more food being used at the Samaritan centre, more need for the services and more use,” Landry said.

A city spokesperson said since last year, it’s been able to take steps to address the growing need and there are beds available for those who need them.

“We implemented an additional shelter program last year as a response to our encampment strategy so we could make sure we had available shelter beds when people wanted them,” Gail Spencer of the City of Greater Sudbury said.

“So far we’ve been doing really well, where we’ve had available shelter beds when people wanted them.”

The Homelessness Network said there are a number of online resources and a few hotline numbers people can call if they don’t have a place to stay.

With extreme cold like this, the message is to ask for help, if you need it.