Councillors in Toronto are set to consider keeping warming centres open 24/7 for the rest of the winter.
Most of Ontario was under extreme cold warnings late last week, with frigid temperatures presenting greater risks for those without proper shelter.Calls to keep warming centres open around the clock in Toronto have been growing, with community workers and medical providers saying the city policy to open them once temperatures reach -15 C, or -20 C with wind chill, is cruel, not based in evidence and could be causing preventable cold-related injuries.
"They're showing up in emergency departments, putting a huge strain on emergency departments simply because they want to get inside ... that's not a recipe for the health of anyone or social harmony." "Keeping members of our community from freezing to death on the streets is part of that essential work," it wrote in a statement."If a location is at capacity, staff facilitate referrals to other spaces as space became available and support with transportation," Burke wrote.
"Without places to go, many of our patients face unnecessary challenges completing their recovery," it wrote in a statement. "At the same time, keeping patients in the emergency department or on a hospital ward for longer than is medically necessary reduces the availability of acute care beds." "Why is it that we're arguing for something as basic as a warming centre, a place for people to go to not freeze to death?" Chan McNally said.
In St. Catharines, Ont., outreach worker Emily Spanton said options for homeless individuals are limited.
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