With a "polar vortex" forecast to arrive this weekend, local charities, advocates and the Toronto Police Service's 13 Division distributed 3,500 "winter survival kits" to over 145 social service agencies and homeless shelters in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) today.
The kits, assembled by the Toronto-based charity Engage and Change, contain a sleeping bag, toque, scarf, winter gloves, socks and personal and health
care items that the organization said "often make a difference between life and death."
Volunteers packed and assembled the kits Friday at a warehouse in Vaughan.
In a news release, Engage and Change said homelessness in Ontario has reached a "critical" level, with an estimated 80,000 people unhoused in 2024.
"It is no longer simply the dishevelled on the corner that account for this forgotten community: it is our neighbours, family, friends, former associates, and children," wrote an Engage and Change spokesperson. "They are forgotten."
The winter gear is distributed as part of an initiative called Project Winter Survival, which was first created in 1999. Since its establishment, the project has provided unhoused people in Toronto and the GTA with over 50,000 winter survival kits.
Though the charity and its allies plan to distribute 3,500 winter survival kits on Saturday, Engage and Change said over 15,000 kits have been requested to provide relief to those in need.
“The appeal for kits is staggering,” said Jody Steinhauer, president of The Bargains Group and the Project Winter Survival founder. “The growing plight of our city’s homeless goes from critical to deadly during the volatile winter season. Ongoing challenges facing this high-risk group mean that increased numbers in need of warmth and shelter are left to fend off the elements as best they can.”
The charity said a $75 donation is required to produce a Project Winter Survival kit.
Below freezing temperatures during winter can be dangerous, and even fatal, for people experiencing homelessness. Oftentimes, shelters and respite sites operate at maximum capacity during the winter and are unable to serve everyone in need of assistance and resources.
The winter survival kits distributed by Engage and Change are created in partnership with Auric Worldwide Cargo, Fortigo Freight Service, Scotiabank, RBC Foundation, CIBC, Perimeter Development Corporation, Optimus SBR and The Bargains Group.
