Last year, we saw a temporary shelter established at the Wesley Centre, offering a place for homeless people to go when the weather turns foul during winter, as it will inevitably do.

Unfortunately, that shelter will be not available this year. The Homelessness Task Force, set up a couple of years ago after a campaign by the South Coast Register, is scouting for an alternative venue to house a shelter this winter. 

Time is fasting catching up. While we enjoy this last unseasonal flush of warm weather, we ought to be bracing ourselves for the biting wind and frosts that are certain to follow. And we ought to be mindful that while we will be curling our toes in front of heaters and fires, less fortunate people will be sleeping rough. 

In tents, swags and even caves, they will be huddled against the cold, with at best nylon and canvas protecting them from the worst winter can offer. Shivering, alone and vulnerable.

It’s been said many times that we wouldn’t make our pets endure cold winter nights without shelter but when it comes to homeless people, we seem comfortable putting them out of mind. We should never forget these are people – individuals whose circumstances have led them into homelessness from which escape often feels impossible.

The very least we should be able to do as a society is offer them some respite from the weather when it turns spiteful. 

We don’t expect our local government to solve the complex issue of homelessness. It’s an issue that perplexes all levels of government and has myriad root causes, among them mental health, poverty and alienation.

However, we do expect all levels of government to work together to at least make shelter available when it is most needed. And we expect that shelter to be ongoing, not something that comes to mind immediately before winter. 

We applaud the work of all those trying to address the needs of our homeless community – the task force, the Homeless Hub, the churches, the schools and the individuals who donate time, money, blankets and food.

We hope a permanent shelter can be arranged in time for winter.