Calgary outreach group brings Christmas to those experiencing homelessness
Posted Dec 26, 2023 1:36 pm.
A Calgary outreach group was out in droves on Christmas Eve in Calgary’s Beltline for those experiencing homelessness.
In social media posts, BeTheChangeYYC outreach workers were out “spreading joy and hope for folks sleeping rough in Calgary.”
“Our wonderful team for tonight’s outreach! Great job guys! Thank you for all the hard work you do!” the post reads.
Volunteers have been out on the streets daily leading up to Christmas, delivering goods to people in need.
CEO and founder Chaz Smith of Bethechangeyyc says through their Christmas Eve gifting efforts, 73 people received gifts, food, water, access to winter jackets, and many other winter clothes and hygiene supplies.
The outreach follows “The Longest Night of the Year” in Calgary, a memorial for the unhoused on the winter solstice on Dec. 21.
Watch: Remembering the houseless that passed away in Calgary
The Calgary Homeless Foundation says 436 unhoused Calgarians died on the streets in 2023, which is almost double the number compared to last year at 239.
Patricia Jones, president and CEO of the foundation, explained to CityNews the importance of the memorial.
“To remind everyone that there are people who are living on the streets who are living on bus stops, living in shelters, that pass away and have people who love them, and it’s important to understand that those may be people you know,” she said.
“I can talk to people in a room that have never experienced homelessness, and I can tell you each one of them will know somebody who is skimming it, so I think it’s important for us to remember that it can happen to any of us.”
Jones adds that the rising cost of living is a major factor in more Calgarians ending up on the streets and the opioid crisis attributing to the number of rising deaths.
She also says she believes things will get worse before they get better, but she’s optimistic about the partnerships formed to address some of the issues.
