How London's homeless are surviving the snow as shelters at capacity

Londoners without a place to call home are battling the winter elements to stay warm — and alive — amidst recent snow squalls and frigid temperatures. 

Out of desperation, some told CBC they are huddling in storefront doorways and stairwells, turning to hospital emergency rooms or walking the streets all night to survive.  

"If you're not moving around, you freeze and you will die," said Jacob Sawatzky, who says he hasn't had permanent housing for 17 years. 

Sawatzky said instead of finding places to sleep overnight, he stays awake, walking through the city to keep himself warm.

"I took crystal meth so I wouldn't have to stay still because when you stay still, you get cold," Sawatzky said. 

He said he uses the substance daily, in a way that keeps himself constantly awake. During Tuesday night's snow squall, Sawatzky said he took short rest breaks every two hours, but was otherwise on the move.

"I'll find a spot where the wind stops for a little bit, sit down, take a break, smoke some meth and move on," Sawatzky said. 

There are currently more than 300 Londoners living unsheltered, said Craig Cooper, the city's director of housing stability services in an email. The city's 396 shelter beds are consistently at capacity, he added. 

The doors at St. Joe's Café, which provides meals for people in need, is currently opening two hours before service to provide relief to those walking all night, said St. Joe's director Tracey Morton-Sader.

"We have room to seat about 40 people before you can get into the restaurant, so we've been finding that area is completely full right when we get here at 7:30 in the morning," Morton-Sader said. 

"We do spend a lot of time in the morning just trying to get people in, get them dry, get them comfortable, because a lot of them have been out walking all night because it's cold."

She said people are staying longer than usual in the restaurant, and her team has to ask them to eventually move on to allow space for others to have a meal or cup of coffee. 

"Once they come in, they're looking for a spot where they can close their eyes and feel safe," she said. 

CBC News spoke to other people finding places to warm up during Wednesday's snow squall, who said they've been sleeping in doorways, stairwells and tents this winter. 

Many of them said they've stopped going to shelters, knowing that they will most likely get turned away. Sawatzky said the last time he tried to get into a shelter was three years ago, but he couldn't get in and hasn't tried again since. 

Some told CBC they visit libraries or malls to warm up during the day. But in malls and shopping areas, they are often only in spaces for short periods of time before being asked to leave.

'Everybody needs to be housed,' says director

The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) said during the winter, they see more patients visiting their emergency department who are also seeking warmth. These patients must still be registered and seen by a physician before they can be discharged, LHSC said in an email.

Although he's created a system to stay warm, Sawatzky said he cannot keep doing it much longer. 

"My body is worn out now," Sawatzky said. 

Morton-Sader said she thinks the solution comes down to more all-day housing.

"Even people that are in facilities where there is a bed, they're being asked to leave that bed at 7:30 in the morning, so you're still then put out into the elements," said Morton-Sader. "Everyone needs a bed and everybody needs to be housed."