This was the case on Elgin Street around 7 a.m. Wednesday, as well as in front of the Rideau Center and on Murray Street next to the Shepherds of Hope shelter. The mercury read -15 Celsius.
The Salvation Army couldn’t put a number on how many people are sleeping outside these days, but its Street Outreach Program workers interact with dozens of people each night, said Mikyla, the program’s director. Outreach.
“Our responsibility is to look after people sleeping outside and help them get to warm places. If this is not possible and they want to sleep outside, we will provide them with the necessary winter effects so that this can be done as safely as possible,” she explained, while specifying that their goal The ultimate goal is to offer permanent, long-term housing to the homeless.
Remember that a homeless man was found without vital signs early Monday on Elgin Street, near Cooper Street. Paramedics were dispatched to the scene around 4:30 a.m. regarding the man in his forties who was in cardiorespiratory arrest. He was taken to hospital in critical condition.
The man’s death was confirmed later in the day. The circumstances of the death are not suspicious, said the Ottawa Police Service. The Ottawa Paramedic Service is refusing to speculate on whether the man froze to death or whether the cardiopulmonary arrest was caused by something else. It is the coroner’s office that will be able to confirm the cause of death, it was mentioned.
Devastated
The municipal councilor of the Somerset district, Ariel Troster, however, believes that the man died of cold.
“I was devastated to learn that a man was found frozen to death yesterday morning on Elgin Street. This is exactly the scenario that the City is trying to avoid, but this failure is the responsibility of all of us,” she wrote on a social network.
“Ending homelessness is our most urgent crisis. I will continue to pressure the City and all levels of government to do better. The answer is HOUSING, with supports when needed. Period,” she added, while asking citizens to call 311 if they see people sleeping outside in freezing temperatures like those of the last few nights.
-“Help us ensure that this tragedy never happens again,” said Ms. Troster.
Homeless people live in tents in Ottawa, summer and winter. (Simon Séguin-Bertrand/Archives Le Droit)
Salvation Army rolling teams are on duty 21 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. However, it should be noted that teams cannot have their eyes everywhere all the time, and that public collaboration is essential.
On the side of La Mission d’Ottawa, in the Côte-de-Sable district, employees carry out patrols in the area surrounding the building every 30 minutes during cold periods. They walk around with hot drinks, clothing and hot compresses to help people warm up.
They are also invited to go inside, but some refuse the offer for various reasons, including mental health or negative experiences in shelters.
“It’s people’s choice to go to a shelter or not. We try to respectfully encourage them to go inside for obvious reasons. It’s a question of humanity and security,” explained Aileen Leo, of The Ottawa Mission.
