Daytime high temperatures are expected to remain near 30 C for the rest of this week, with 35 C forecast for next Tuesday, according to Environment Canada
As soaring temperatures sear Calgary, those most vulnerable in the city can be left without a place to cool off as the heat warning continues.
Non-profit Wood’s Homes aims to help change that by offering cooling kits and a space to cool off — the Inglewood Opportunity Hub at 1008 14th Street S.E. — to help homeless Calgarians of all ages.
Individuals experiencing homelessness who don’t get reprieve from extreme temperatures are 200 times more likely to die from heat events, said Mischa Nagtalon, program supervisor at the Inglewood Opportunity Hub.
“It’s saving a life, that’s literally what this means to us,” she said.
They are calling for donations from the community, either financially or through a donation of needed items, to help build cooling kits.
Each kit will contain items such as bottled water, Gatorade, sun protection (hats, sunscreen), hygiene products, sandals, snacks and reusable water bottles; all items are held within a backpack.
In a media release Wood’s Homes CEO Bjorn Johansson said, “Access to a simple cooling kit can provide the essentials that make a person experiencing homelessness’ horrible day into a tolerable one.”
They also have an outreach team, which typically hands out supplies to unhoused people twice per week. With temperatures in the 30 C range in the coming days, they’ve increased outreach to four days per week.
“The outreach team will bring supplies with them to distribute out — and normally that involves a cooling kit, alongside the regular stuff that we already do bring,” Nagtalon said.
They also carry additional provisions of water, electrolytes, sunscreen, caps, sun visors and hygiene products.
“Those who are experiencing homelessness have less access to take care of their hygiene and so being able to provide them with these things is so needed in this heat,” she said.
Calgary remains under heat warning
Daytime high temperatures are expected to remain near 30 C for the rest of this week, with 35 C forecast for next Tuesday, according to Environment Canada.
“For the next seven to nine days, daytime highs will be between 28 and 36 degrees Celsius and overnight lows will range from 12 to 20 degrees Celsius,” said Environment Canada.
On Monday and Tuesday this week, EMS responded to eight heat-related emergencies in Calgary. All of those patients are in non-critical condition, said Alberta Health Services public education officer Naomi Nania.
“There’s a lot of community resources that will allow people to come inside, especially on days like this,” Nania said.
‘People … can come to our space to take a break from this heat’
People are welcome to drop by the Inglewood Opportunity Hub to cool off and “escape” to air conditioning for a brief period of time, said Nagtalon.
“It does help them (homeless people), just to be able to escape from the heat (even) if they don’t want to access services like ours, for one reason or another,” she said. “I hope that people know that they can come to our space to take a break from this heat.”
Wood’s Homes began as a youth-centered organization, but has branched out to helping adults and families over the last decade, according to Nagtalon.
Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Inglewood Opportunity Hub houses several essential services and supports under one roof, including facilities with showers, laundry and hot meals.
There is also an addiction recovery team at the hub, employment counsellors, crisis councellors, mental health specialists and even a culinary arts program for youth, run by Red Seal chefs.
Wood’s Homes also has a location in Parkdale, at 805 – 37 Street N.W., along with locations in Lethbridge and Fort McMurray.
— With files from Matt Scace