Surviving extreme weather events: How people experiencing homelessness stay cool and dry

There are 53 cooling spaces across Waterloo Region for people experiencing homelessness to take shelter during extreme heat events, but Lindsay Sprague, the director of community programs at Sanguen Health Centre says that it isn't enough.

"I think our region does a really good job at co-ordinating some cool centres across our region and including community partners in the planning for those cooling centres, but sometimes those centres tend to be more short-term relief," Sprague said.

One of the problems she points to with cooling spaces is that they're not open 24/7 — the latest they're open is 11 p.m. and that's only some in Waterloo and Woolwich. In Kitchener and Cambridge, the latest some spaces are open is 9 p.m.

"Sometimes also those places are in areas or buildings where folks might feel a little hesitant to access — like municipal buildings or other places that might not feel as welcoming," said Sprague. A lot of the spaces are in city halls, or other public buildings like libraries and community centres.

"Also, sometimes people have trouble getting transportation to a cooling centre."

Extreme heat can kill. In Quebec in 2010, a total 280 people died from an extreme heat event, according to Statistics Canada, and in B.C. in 2021, some 619 people died.  

More shelter beds would be a solution to the issues around the cooling spaces, Sprague said. A spokesperson with Waterloo region said there are 1,085 people experiencing homelessness as of September 2021 (which is the most recent count), but only 519 beds available.

This is down 136 beds since February, which is in part due to the loss of 66 beds when YW Kitchener-Waterloo shut this summer.  

Abdullah Ali, who spends time at a friend's tent at the 100 Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener, says he rarely uses the public cooling stations, and instead opts for the facility run by The Working Centre across the street from that encampment.  

He said they provide showers, toilets and a place to relax, and describes it as a "blessing" for them.

"It's a safe place where you can go in basically and you don't have to sit in a bush and get arrested or whatever, right?" he said.

The day CBC News spoke to Ali, it was 38 C, and during the interview he asked to do it in the shade.  

"Well, there's no windows," he said, speaking of his friend's tent, "but no matter how much zippers you open with the netting, with the bug netting … to allow air to come in, no matter what you do, it's frickin hot."  

"So you just have to move around and basically distract yourself."