Regina advocates question inadequate conditions for homeless

A year after Camp Hope where there's no plans of another camp opening for those experiencing homelessness in Regina, many question how those will survive another prairie winter.

The sun was out Thursday making it look like a beautiful fall day, but nighttime temperatures went well below zero.

Randy, who didn’t want to give his last name said that he and other houseless people feel left out without any support.

“We get cold at night, it’s pretty hard, whatever wood that we can find in the back alleys, we need blankets and maybe more tents or something like that to be warm, it was pretty cold last night,” Randy said.

He went on to talk about how he could have accessed affordable housing, but chose to stick with the others to support them and watch out if anyone overdoses.

Shylo Stevenson, communications director at Warriors of Hope said, “We’re in a more dire state now than we were last year. The resources that we had available to us last year, the 24-hour warming centre and other agencies being able to provide stuff, we don’t have this year.”

He added that it is going to be tough for a lot of the houseless people to make it through the winter without a definite plan.

This week marks a year since Camp Hope in Pepsi Park came into existence. The tents were set up after the death of Vivian Marjorie who at the time was homeless and died of an overdose in Victoria Park.

A feast was held at Pepsi Park Thursday, when Marjorie’s family was in attendance. Stevenson said that it’s a celebration and ceremony with prayers to move forward.