Winter is just around the corner. And in Canada, many homeless people will again have to find a shelter to keep them warm and safe from the biting cold that winter brings. However, with lots of people losing their jobs due to the pandemic, the coming winter months could see more homeless people staying outside and sleeping in tents.
Tents are not enough to survive the winter
Khaleel Seivwright, a 28-year-old carpenter from Scarborough, understands that tarpaulins and tents are not enough to mitigate the biting cold; hence, the dire need to provide them with a better alternative. His solution: wooden shelter on wheels that he himself built.
Speaking to CTV News, he said that the first tiny shelter he constructed was for himself, so he knows they work. The wooden home, he said, had six windows and a skylight, and it was comfortable. It protected him from the harsh winter weather, in which temperature went as low as -15 degrees Celcius.
On the outside, the tiny wooden shelter looked no more than an oversized rectangular box with a door, small window, and caster wheels at each of the four corners of its base. However, the walls are fitted with a thick layer of fiberglass insulation, which is also used in residential structures—all for the cost of about $1,000 and eight hours to complete.
The pandemic has worsened the homelessness crises
He started building the wooden shelters in late September, CBC noted, as his way of responding to the homelessness crisis. Seivwright said that he has never seen so many people staying outside in parks. It is something that he could do to make sure people who are staying outside in the winter could survive.
The first mobile shelter he donated was constructed using his own savings, and then he started a GoFundMe to raise funds so more can be built. To determine the recipients, he would go around and talk to people who are staying in tents. He asks them what their plans are for the coming winter and if they think they could use one of his handwoven shelters.
So far, his GoFundMe has raised more than $120,000 out of the $200,000 goal. But more than donations, many have also volunteered to help build more of the mobile wooden shelters. There are already plans to move into a warehouse to get more volunteers and more space to store the materials.
While there are concerns that his project might come in conflict with the city bylaws or zoning regulation, he said that his project would complement the city government's efforts.
"This is what I know how to do," he said, "this is what seems to be viable, so I'm going to continue to do this." According to CTV News, 128 homeless people in Toronto died last year, of which 52 have died between October and January.
The city currently offers about 6,800 shelter beds, CBC noted, and it plans to provide about 560 additional spaces.
