City of Regina offers bus as warming space before indoor warming centre opens
People sleeping on the streets in Regina can now warm up in a city bus
The City of Regina has provided a bus to be used as an overnight warming space outside Carmichael Outreach.
Starting Wednesday, the bus will be available from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. CST, seven nights a week, on the 1500 block of 12th Avenue near St. Johns Street.
City council is providing $100,000, paid for by a 0.03 per cent mill rate increase approved in December, for a 24-hour warming centre at Carmichael Outreach, with another $200,000 coming from the provincial Ministry of Social Services.
That indoor centre is expected to open on Jan. 22. The warming bus is a stop-gap measure to provide urgent shelter to people sleeping on the streets in the meantime, according to the city.
In Saskatoon, buses are also available as a warm place to stay in emergencies. The city's long-standing Safe Bus program allows anyone, at any time, to flag down a bus. Bus drivers will then contact emergency services directly and provide a safe place to wait.
Corrections
- A previous version of this story stated city council made the decision to provide $100,000 on Monday. In fact, that money comes from a mill rate increase approved in December.Jan 11, 2024 10:13 AM CT