By Katia Galati & Talha Hashmani<\/p>\n
Toronto\u2019s winter months amplify the unsafe living conditions faced by the city\u2019s\u00a0 homeless population, many of whom are forced to brave a night without shelter or warmth. In a recent article by the <\/span>Toronto Star<\/span><\/a>, workers at St. Michael's hospital reported a rise in cold-related injuries including frostbite, painful foot infections, and life-threatening hypothermia amongst those living out in the streets..\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With the shelter system nearing capacity and facing staffing issues, those\u00a0 left on the streets are forced to seek alternative shelter arrangements. Shuttle buses, heating vents, and subway stations are some of the many popular spots the unhoused go when they are met with little support from the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an effort to mitigate the dangers brought by the frigid winter season, the City of Toronto enacted a winter plan. In a news release<\/a> on Oct. 22, 2021, the city said that its winter plan involved the expansion of shelter space to accommodate 200 additional residents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, outreach workers such as Lorraine Lam believe that the city is cutting corners when it comes to accommodating the influx of shelter residents. In one scenario, Lam describes how outreach workers were unable to find the nearly 50 new beds that the city promised following the fatal death of an unhoused individual at a shelter.<\/span><\/p>\n \"A lot of my colleagues were trying to figure out where [they were]. Nobody seemed to know,\" said Lam. After speaking to a friend of hers who worked at the shelter, Lam <\/span>said she discovered no new spaces were made available at the shelter. Instead, the shelter director was given direction to add more spaces on a COVID positive floor.<\/span><\/p>\n \"To me, that's a really terrifying way of cutting corners, to say that we've added new space but actually we didn't put in new spaces, we just shoved in new spots - to avoid COVID protocols,\" said Lam.<\/p>\n