The Regional Park 'n' Ride Transit Terminal is among the facilities currently offering residents of Lethbridge shelter from the cold, but the city is looking for more facility owners to offer support. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

City of Lethbridge looking for facilities to keep people warm during winter

Dec 15, 2022 | 10:47 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The City of Lethbridge is reaching out to property owners who can lend a helping hand.

They are asking people who own large indoor spaces, such as warehouses or places of worship, to offer up their facilities to anyone who needs to get out of the cold and warm up this winter.

The City says in a media release, “To protect the safety and wellbeing of residents, the City has developed an extreme weather protocol that identifies times when comfort centres would open to provide relief from the elements in both hot and cold weather.”

“To help create a more robust list of potential locations for these centres, the City is looking to engage with community partners to discuss the needs and identify potential space,” the City adds.

As provided in a prior City of Lethbridge media release, the following facilities are currently providing a warm respite from the cold:

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• Lethbridge Public Library Main branch
  • Mon. – Tues. 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  • Wed. – Sat. 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  • Sun. – 1 – 5 p.m.
• Lethbridge Public Library Crossings Branch
  • Mon. – Wed. – 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  • Thurs. & Fri. – 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  • Sat. – 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  • Sun. – 1 – 5 p.m.
• Regional Park n’ Ride Transit terminal
  • Mon. – Sun. – 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Other daytime community supports are being offered by the following agencies:

• Interfaith Foodbank
• Lethbridge Foodbank
• Lethbridge Soup Kitchen
• Streets Alive

A full list of services being provided in Lethbridge during the extreme cold period can be found in the image below:

Services provided in Lethbridge under the Extreme Temperature Response Plan. (Image: City of Lethbridge)

The Point-in-Time Homeless Count, conducted in September 2022, found that there were a minimum of 454 people in Lethbridge who were experiencing at least some level of homelessness. This figure is more than double the amount of the 2018 count.

Anyone who has questions or is interested in exploring the option to share their space can reach out to the City of Lethbridge Emergency Management team at emergencymanagement@lethbridge.ca or call 311.

READ MORE: Report: 454 people in Lethbridge experiencing homelessness

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