Out of the Cold Shelter seeing reduced numbers
Reeti Meenakshi Rohilla - Staff Writer
Sioux Lookout’s Out of the Cold Shelter is seeing a reduced number of visitors at this time.
The Executive Director for the Out of the Cold Shelter, Susan Barclay said, “It’s quiet right now. We are probably not going to meet the numbers we had last year in January. But we do have a core group of about 10 people using the shelter on a regular basis. They don’t have any other options.”
Barclay said that the people that would come into Sioux Lookout from different communities for various reasons like shopping and medical, sometimes ended up staying at the shelter temporarily, until they found a way to return home. With the COVID-19 restrictions, she said all of this movement has drastically been reduced. Barclay said that the shelter has been trying to keep their numbers restricted to only the people using it on a regular basis. She explained, “We are discouraging people who have other options from coming into our building. So if they do have a known home, we are encouraging them to go to their home and stay at home instead of coming to us to warm up, to have lunch, that kind of thing.”
Barclay said that they have been encouraging all people using the shelter to stay inside. She added, “People have the option of staying in all the time. They are never asked to leave necessarily, it’s up to them. But the stay-at-home order as an act defined by the government of Ontario does not apply to people who are homeless.”
Barclay shared that overall for the year 2020, the shelter served 500 people, as opposed to 2018 and 2019 when the numbers were over 700 for each year. She said, “For this time of the year it is not unusual for the numbers to be down to about this level. But overall, our numbers are down over the year and definitely we are seeing less people than we normally would.”
Barclay said that anyone who may not have shelter anywhere else are welcome through the back door of the old Queen Elizabeth District High School building at 15 Fair Street, 24/7. People are provided with breakfast, lunch and soup in the evenings.