Pop-up shelter created in St. Boniface to help underserved people in need of warm space

St. Boniface Street Links opened a pop-up shelter Sunday night to provide a warm space for people living in the area while it's frigidly cold.

The temporary shelter will operate out of Holy Cross Church on Dubuc Street from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. every day until temperatures improve.

"Having a shelter is life-saving, and that's what we hope, that we're saving lives," said Marion Willis, the founder and executive director of Street Links.

It's especially crucial to set up a shelter in the St. Boniface neighbourhoodduring this cold period, she said.

"Street Links is the only homeless-serving organization east of the Red [River]. We cover a very large area and there is no infrastructure over here to to support us. There's no shelters, soup kitchens, there's no place for people to go," Willis said.

Outreach staff sometimes go into ATM vestibules or bus shelters to ask people if they want a ride to a shelter on Main Street,and most of the time the people decline for various reasons, she said.

On Saturday, when it was extremely cold, staff became especially concerned about people on the streets, so they decided to set up the pop-up shelter with people from Holy Cross.

Staff at the pop-up shelter will serve visitors a hot dinner at night and a hot breakfast in the morning before people leave.

The temporary shelter in the basement of the church has room for up to 30 people.

Willis isn't sure how many people will turn up every night, but she's made it known throughout the shelter network that if there's more demand for beds than there are empty ones, they can come to St. Boniface for a warm sleep.

"It we have the room, we're willing to share the space with whoever needs it."

WATCH | Pop-up shelter provides warm space:

Helping vulnerable people during extreme cold weather

4 years ago

Duration 2:19

Dangerous temperatures and few options prompted one Winnipeg organization to pull together a pop up emergency warming shelter in St Boniface. And they're working around the clock to keep people on the streets safe.