Faced with the cold snap, organizations are ready to welcome the homeless

Several organizations that help the homeless are hard at work to help everyone protect themselves from the cold wave currently hitting Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.

While an extreme cold warning is in effect in several areas, the region’s Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (CIUSSS) encourages people experiencing homelessness to use various services due to these weather conditions. .

According to Environment Canada, wind chills could reach -44 and the CIUSSS indicates that several risks are linked to these weather conditions.

Once a temperature of -27°C is reached, with or without cooling factors, there is a greater risk of frostbite, hypothermia or frostbite from the cold.explains the organization’s communications and media relations executive advisor, Mélissa Bradette.

According to the CIUSSSin cold weather, several measures to protect people experiencing homelessness are put in place to allow everyone to protect themselves well.

We also distribute different equipment to help them keep warm, for example, hand warmers, blankets, different clothes. Obviously, all this is done there with our various partners, for example, the Homeless Shelter or the Street Work Servicenote Mme Bradette.

Public health assesses that it must put in place emergency measures due to the extreme cold a dozen days each winter in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.

The reception centers for the homeless in Roberval, Alma and Chicoutimi are available 24 hours a day until Thursday, according to the general director of the Chicoutimi Home for the Homeless, Yanick Harvey.

We continue without having any gaps in services. We have the night team who are there, we have people who come in from the morning until the afternoon, people who come in the evening, so we don’t have any gapshe emphasizes.

Mr. Harvey also specifies that 16 beds were added to the 56 already offered to be able to respond to a possible increase in demand caused by the cold. In Roberval, 12 beds are available, while the Alma refuge has 10.

In terms of traffic, there are between 17 and 24 people using the services here. [à Chicoutimi]in Roberval 8-9 people, in Alma 4-5 people continuously […] We still have room to accommodate people just in case.he lists.

Yanick Harvey is also delighted with the collaboration between the different services offered for the homeless in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.

“He has a lead which happens naturally, people participate, there is exchange, everyone respects each other. It’s really a great participation. I find that we don’t work in silos at all here, it’s the opposite of many other regions,” he believes.