Out in the Cold

Hmm . . . what’s the best thing to do on a Friday night? How does sleeping outside in -14˚ C weather surrounded by snow sound? That is what a group of your fellow Grebelites from Peace Society did on November 21. We joined a group of UW students for Out in the Cold, an event where we slept outside to raise awareness about homelessness in the Waterloo region and money for a local agency called ROOF (Reaching Our Outdoor Friends) that helps youth on the streets.

The night started out with cardboard. We were given cardboard boxes and a slight bit of duct tape. We were told that if we wanted somewhere to sleep, we had to build it. Of course, being Grebelites, we wanted an area promoting that “c” word, community. Hence, up went several flimsy walls around one large community sleeping area. It worked perfectly...that is, until it slowly collapsed on top of our huddled bodies during the night.

The immediate focus of the night seemed to be to keep warm in any way possible. We were encouraged to keep moving–the UW response team came around several times during the night to poke anybody they saw not moving in order to make sure they were not dead. We avoided this imposition of our personal space by running around playing ultimate frisbee with numbed fingers, kicking around a volleyball flattened by the cold, taking a midnight walk around Ring Road, and just becoming more intimate with frequent group huddles. We could go inside the SLC anytime we got too cold, where food and drinks were provided. It was amazing how wonderful a little thing like something warm to eat or drink was when you were that cold.

It was also a night of learning. We had three discussion groups during the night: breaking stigmas and stereotypes about homeless people, sharing stories and experiences, and discussing how you can make a difference on all levels. So many of the people there were knowledgeable on the topic, and had so many stories to share about how homeless people are just like you and me, although often more hospitable and wanting to share the little they do have. Homelessness is much more rampant than we think in Canada, and right here in Waterloo. In 2005, 2,653 individuals accessed emergency shelter services in the Waterloo region and many households are only three paychecks away from homelessness (Homelessness and Housing Umbrella Group). It is a problem that needs to be dealt with.

Sleeping outside on the coldest night of the fall helped me to realize just how hard it would be to be homeless–we thought we were cold, in our winter garb, when we had access to warm shelter, food and drinks with the promise of a warm bed only one night away. To think that over 2000 people within busing distance from our warm Grebel beds experience the cold every night. I can’t imagine sleeping on a park bench to wake up with your hair frozen to the wood, with no sensation in your fingers or face and calling that - that desolate, cold piece of unloved wood your home. Here at Grebel, we have so much. I think that it is time for us to share.

If you are interested in getting involved, you can go to the Homelessness and Housing Umbrella Group website: http://www.hhug.ca.

Written by: Sara Brubacher