Winter conditions can be particularly demanding for people who are already struggling. The cold and snow can exacerbate vulnerabilities and make simple tasks such as getting around, buying groceries, and socializing all the more complex. Community agencies have to ramp up their services during this time to ensure no one is left to face these challenges alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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When winter hits hard<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Any unexpected event during the winter\u2014a high hydro bill, delayed transportation to a food bank, or even a bad bout of the flu\u2014can put many vulnerable people into a spiral they can\u2019t escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Winter can take a heavy toll. During this season, some people may have to choose between heating their homes and buying food or between staying home where it’s safe and leaving home to get help or stay connected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Needs that change… and grow<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As the temperature falls, agencies have to provide warm clothing, boots, and coats. Warm spaces for people experiencing homelessness are crucial, as is access to community resources for people in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winter isolation is a hardship particularly for people living alone, seniors, newcomers, and people with reduced mobility. Informal networks of neighbours, friends, and acquaintances are less available during the winter.\u00a0 Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression are often exacerbated during this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many newcomers can be quite taken aback by their first snowstorm, while some seniors may go weeks without seeing a soul.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Every year, Anne\u2011Sylvie Darilus, Executive Director of the Association pour a\u00een\u00e9s r\u00e9sidant \u00e0 Laval (APARL)<\/strong>, sees how winter directly impacts the involvement and morale of the agency\u2019s members: \u201cWe always see a dip in participation during the winter. Many people clearly tell us, \u2018If the weather\u2019s bad, I’m not going out.\u2019 I get it. They\u2019re afraid of falling, injuring themselves, and losing their independence.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that, in some cases, winter can even reduce the agency\u2019s ability to identify vulnerable people: \u201cOur outreach worker often goes to parks, caf\u00e9s, and malls to identify people who are vulnerable. But fewer people go outside during the winter. So we definitely don\u2019t reach as many of them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone has to pay close attention during these harsh months. Anne-Sylvie Darilus stressed how the risks increase for people with cognitive losses: \u201cWe are seeing more people with cognitive losses become disoriented outside their homes in both summer and winter. However, in winter, this situation can get dangerous very quickly.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Situations of abuse can also worsen during the cold season: \u201cWhen a senior is experiencing mistreatment, winter can mean they have nowhere to go. We\u2019ve seen people literally become prisoners in their homes because of the snow or ice, as they have no way of getting out.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Winterizing community action<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To tackle these challenges, community agencies have had to adapt. They organize transportation, make friendly check-in calls and home visits, extend their opening hours, set up warming centres, and deploy more outreach workers. All of this is made possible thanks to support from partners like Centraide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBad weather means that people with reduced mobility, like seniors, can\u2019t come to our P\u2019tit March\u00e9 monthly food assistance service,\u201d said Rainbow Charbonneau, Executive Director of the Maison d\u2019Entraide St-Paul et \u00c9mard<\/strong>.\u201cWhen that happens, we can make deliveries. This is not an official service, but we know our clients.\u201d
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Food security agencies also have procurement issues. \u201cWe have less food, as we don\u2019t source our fresh fruit and vegetables from local producers,\u201d said Rainbow Charbonneau. \u201cWe depend solely on Moisson Montr\u00e9al. However, in the summer, we can buy our supplies from more diverse sources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen they are calling for \u201325 \u00b0C outside, we open earlier and close later. We also change the rules a bit. We let people experiencing homelessness come to the Espace-Jeunes without necessarily offering specific services. We give them a coffee and a place to spend time just so they can get warm,\u201d said Julien Clusiau Perreault, Executive Director of Macadam Sud<\/strong> in Longueuil.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\u201cThere are up to 70 or 75 encampments in the summer,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the winter, there are maybe 20 at most. Many people leave the streets and reluctantly go to shelters, while others move to temporary resources or the homes of friends or places in the regions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the cold descends, the camps may get smaller, but the people who remain are often more vulnerable and more spread out. To stay connected, the agency has to literally move their services with them. This is what prompted Macadam Sud to set up a shuttle bus between encampments, which it did by reinvesting funds originally meant for a since-abandoned initiative to construct mini-homes. Rather than let the resources go unused, the agency purchased a vehicle that they equipped to provide direct support. \u201cWe bring sleeping bags that can withstand temperatures of up to \u201335 \u00b0C. We also provide hand warmers, thermal underwear, and lunch boxes. We may even drive people to day centres or shelters,\u201d explained Julien Clusiau Perreault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Longueuil, the Halte-R\u00e9pit under the Jacques Cartier Bridge just set up an important new facility this year, as it opened a community caf\u00e9 in a trailer that is open 24 hours a day. The Abri de la Rive<\/strong>–<\/strong>Sud<\/strong> and Halte du Coin<\/strong> are two Centraide-supported agencies that provide services and support at the caf\u00e9. Not only do they hand out snacks and provide access to a warm space, but they also run an innovative boxed-lunch dispenser project that is managed by Macadam Sud. \u201cPeople can access free meals from these vending machines with an OPUS card registered by our team. Each person is entitled to one meal every 24 hours. We have one at the Halte du Coin and another at the Halte-R\u00e9pit trailer,\u201d said Julien Clusiau Perreault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Action where it is needed<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
With winter comes specific, concrete actions on the front line. For example, agencies may give out coats and boots to a newly arrived family, call an isolated person every day to make sure they are okay and have access to food, or find temporary accommodation for someone in a situation of homelessness. Although it may seem simple, this work requires a great deal of organization and can strain teams when their days are filled with the unexpected.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\u201cThe food we give out to the community is picked, sorted, and prepared by volunteers,\u201d said Rainbow Charbonneau. \u201cIf our volunteers can\u2019t come because of the weather, which doesn\u2019t happen often, then our employees will pick up the slack. We won\u2019t simply cancel the service.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a9 Maison d’entraide\u00a0<\/sub><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Immediate and lasting effects<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What community agencies do during the winter has many impacts, both now and in the future. In the short term, their work helps reduce health and safety risks, stabilize critical situations, and provide fast access to assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At APARL, the role of the community outreach worker is often decisive: \u201cFollow-up is essential. Isolated people have a thousand reasons not to go out, and the cold gives them a thousand more. Without support, many people avoid doing things that could really help them,\u201d said Anne-Sylvie Darilus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the medium term, agencies stay connected with highly isolated people, keep them from dropping out of services, and refer them to other resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the long term, they strengthen the social safety net and create an environment in which no one is left out in the cold, even when the weather gets harsh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What winter reveals<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Winter shows just how much agencies play a key role on the front line. Their ability to quickly adapt, their in-depth knowledge of the community, and their proximity to vulnerable populations are essential to meet needs that can\u2019t wait for spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, winter is also a time when agencies are pushed to their limits, as this period adds pressure to teams, drains resources, and increases the need for constant assistance to keep services going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While winter reveals the strength of these agencies, it also reveals the urgent need to support them year-round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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1 out of 5 people receives our help. 5 out of 5 people benefit from it.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s all lend a hand<\/font><\/b><\/span>\n <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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