It is cold. Unseasonably cold. With a wind blowing most days even in the sun it is bitter outside. Homeless folk and so-called street people are majorly subjected to the cold. All the shelters and places of refuge - drop-in centres, thrift shops, any shops and places where they can go just to get away from the cold and just "to be" - are inaccesible to them at the present time.
When it does start to warm (as we surely hope it will) - even rain - there will still be nowhere to go except the sidewalks and streets. Meals are still being given out - sandwiches, perhaps fruit and cookies, in a paper bag, soup in a repurposed yogurt container handed out at the door. Ever had to eat a bowl of soup and holding onto a sandwich while just standing against a wall? Or how about siting on a hard, cold cement sidewalk?
I heard a great suggestion to help alleviate most of these problems: the city could open up the Rolling Mix Concrete arena sitting idle to offer loads of social distance sitting room, but at least a place to sit and washrooms also for a place to obey the edict of hand washing. How can any of these things be accomplished with no access to anything?
I phoned and spoke to a young woman at City Hall concerning this idea, who thanked me and said the city is considering several ideas for sheltering and dealing with the problem and hoped to be able to "come up with something."
Meanwhile, as city council sits around in warmth and comfort, many of our truly most vulnerable citizens are suffering terribly and unable, among everything else, to protect themselves from contracting this nasty virus.
While many other Canadian cities are opening up convention halls, civic centres and other empty civic buildings during this unique worldwide emergency, our city officials still seem unable to find any kind of solution.
Stop considering and act. Doing nothing is shameful.
Joan McKay
Prince George
