Unhoused to benefit from free coffee: Calgary Homeless Foundation

Calgarians on a small budget are able to get a free coffee, as part of the Coordinated Cold Extreme Weather Response (CCEWR).

“Want a free hot coffee to warm up on a cold day? Here’s where you can get one in Calgary: Mustard Seed, Salvation Army (mobile), Dashmesh Cultural Centre, and Journey Church,” said the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the CHF and the CCER have entered into a partnership to help the vulnerable population in the city.

“If you need to get out of the cold and warm up, here’s a map of Calgary’s cold weather emergency locations that includes overnight shelters, daytime services and warming stations,” said CHF on its website.

To reduce barriers to access shelters for the unhoused and increase warm spaces, the CHF also worked with shelters, social agencies and outreach organizations.

Read More: Response triggered for city’s vulnerable as Calgary endures cold snap

“In 2021, Calgary City Council had allocated $750,000 for a Coordinated Community Winter Response (CCWR). This was in response to factors like overcrowding at transit stations, sustained temperatures of below -20 degrees and issues arising from the pandemic,” read the CHF’s website. “The United Way of Calgary and Area made an additional investment of $100,000 in January 2022, to be leveraged to support this initiative, bringing total funding to $850,000.”