FORT FRANCES — Nature made this border town a little less hospitable to the unhoused on Thursday as the season’s first substantial snowfall rolled in.
The streets of Fort Frances were blanketed in the white stuff on Friday, with flurries in the forecast for Saturday through Monday and daily highs below zero predicted for the weekend.
Where can the homeless turn to for comfort as the uncomfortable cold sets in?
The District of Rainy River Services Board operates an Out of the Cold Warming Centre at the Apostolic Way United Pentecostal Church on Victoria Avenue.
“The warming centre gives those who are vulnerable and may be experiencing homelessness a safe, warm indoor place to rest and access snacks, washroom facilities and referrals to other service providers,” Services Board communications officer Heather Latter said in an email.
The warming centre’s hours are 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. — but not for a couple of weeks, as the program runs from mid-November to late April only.
Latter said there are several other agencies and organizations supplying support to the unhoused in the town, including the Family Centre, the United Native Friendship Centre, Salvation Army and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The Fort Frances Family Centre, an all-volunteer organization, operates a daytime drop-in centre for people to socialize in a warm space. In addition, it offers a hot meal of soup and sandwiches, a food bank, clothing, blankets, washrooms, a shower room, laundry facilities and more to people in need.
The drop-in space on 4th Street West is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. now but will be “going 24 hours a day” soon, said Family Centre volunteer Traci Lockman.
The 15 or so Family Centre volunteers believe it’s important to fill the gap between the late October snowfall and the Out of the Cold shelter’s opening in mid-November, she said.
“We work long hours. We’re always on the lookout for volunteers,” she added.
The United Native Friendship Centre operates a street outreach program that, among other things, brings people warm clothing and food and helps them connect with shelter opportunities.
But there’s a housing shortage in Fort Frances and rents are out of reach for the unhoused, said the Friendship Centre’s Jenn Kivimaki.
Latter said there are presently six individuals who are “active” on the Fort Frances “by-names list” of people experiencing homelessness.
“However, we know that is not an accurate number of people who are homeless in our community,” she added. “We expect that we will get a more accurate picture once the warming centre opens for the season on November 14.”
