Action Call: City support for winter warming space (2023 12 14)

The following email is from the secretary of the End Poverty Network that meets monthly at Knox Met.

From: Florence Stratton <Florence.Stratton@uregina.ca>

Date: 14 December 2023 at 17:21:48 GMT-6

Subject: URGENT ACTION: CITY BUDGET MONEY FOR WINTER WARMING SPACE

City Council is still debating the budget. Please communicate the info below to the the following members of council immediately.

Ward 1: Cheryl Stadnichuk                                     cstadnic@regina.ca

Ward 3: Andrew Stevens                                        astevens@regina.ca

Ward 6: Dan LeBlanc                                             dleblanc@regina.ca

Ward 8: Shanon Zachidniak                                  szachidn@regina.ca

Dear Councillor…

Please ask that $350,000 be budgeted for a warming centre for unhoused people to be able to come in out of the cold from 11 pm to 7 am. The centre would operate out of Carmichael Outreach from January to April 2024. The money is needed mainly to pay staff salaries.

The Warm Welcome Coalition has approached the Province with this proposal. The province has responded that it is working with the City on a funding model. So it would be prudent to include some money in the budget to ensure this can move forward.

There is currently only one warming centre open in Regina, at All Nations Hope in North Central. As DE23-173 in yesterday’s Delegation Packet (p16) states: “It quickly reaches capacity and people are unable to stay there for more than a few hours before they must move on to let others in to warm up.”

Another warming centre is essential so that fellow Regina residents don’t have to spend the night outside this winter. It is a matter of life and death!

Your name and address