Limited shelter space available for men in Waterloo Region [Video]

The deep freeze has created a problem for anyone seeking shelter space in Waterloo Region.

“You walk into St. John’s Kitchen, and you recognize that there’s at least 250 people there [who] don’t have a place to go each night,” said Joe Mancini, director of The Working Centre. “That is what’s shocking in our community, that there isn’t even a warming place where they can go.”

The region has multiple warning centres open during the day, but none remain open through the night.

It presents a serious safety problem, especially when the wind chill makes it feel like -22 Celsius, like it was on Thursday.

“People have to find a means of staying warm,” Mancini said. “Whether it’s in someone’s backyard, like in their shed, or ganging up into apartments or, as you see in the encampments, people have different means of running fires inside their tents in order to …