No homeless people in Quebec should sleep outside during the polar cold spell next week, say the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale and community organizations which have implemented several initiatives to ensure this.
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Additional shelters, lunches offered to all and a directory of “warm spaces” are some examples of measures put in place this weekend and at the beginning of the week to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness in the City of Quebec, in anticipation of the cold wave that will hit the city with temperatures reaching -29C.
The CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale plans in particular to help the Répit Basse-Ville to allow the opening of a second place of respite, in the basement of the St-Roch Church, which will also be able to accommodate approximately 150 people on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights.
-The Regroupement pour l’aide aux itinerants de Québec (RAIIQ) has also published the directory of heat spaces in the Capitale-Nationale for winter 2024-25, in order to provide information on all the places where it is possible to eat, sleep or stay warm for free or at low cost in the region.
The Lauberivière organization also plans to increase its services at the start of the week.
“Monday and Tuesday morning, we will offer breakfast to people, even to those who do not sleep within our walls,” explains Éric Boulay, director of the organization.
Homelessness on the rise
Every year, homelessness increases in Quebec and Quebec City is not spared. Mr. Boulay notes a meteoric increase in attendance at his organization, the number of bedtimes increasing from 45,895 in 2023 to 52,663 in 2024 and the number of meals increasing from an average of around 430 per day to 470 per day. This increase creates a lot of pressure on community organizations.
Mr. Boulay explains that a lot of food will be needed to prepare additional lunches due to the extreme cold. “People who text the word SOUP to 41010 will give us an automatic donation of $10 to help purchase the necessary foods.”
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