Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle

There’s a fine line between living comfortably in a home and living in an alcove on the street.

It can happen to any of us.

For Jo Tanner, this reality plagues too many people that she has come in contact with through Oliver Missions Society.

And this cold snap doesn’t help one bit, unless you are referring specifically to the “Cold Snap” church that is opening its doors to people in crisis this winter.

This is the second year that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is playing host to a cold weather shelter, and the support it is receiving is nothing less than “amazing.”

“The Christian churches in this community have really stepped up,” said church leader Greg Thorp. “Fifty random people have come forward with food items . . . it’s an amazing response from the community; Oliver and Osoyoos are very compassionate in this collaborative effort.”

The church on Similkameen Avenue has heated floors and carpeting for people who need a hot meal or an overnight stay. People sleep segregated between pews on foam mats donated by the Baptist Church.

Sitting stacked on the counter are donated socks, quilts, blankets, mittens, toques and more to keep the less fortunate warm in these frigid temperatures.

Tanner said their clients range in age from 25 to 61. Some are homeless, while others have been living in cars and trailers with improper heating. And there are quite a few with addiction problems, she pointed out.

The church also accommodates “shut-ins” or retirees with mobility issues. All they really need is a hot meal, which is delivered to them.

“Oliver Missions has done an incredible job on the food component,” Thorp said.

Tanner noted they are in contact with the RCMP in Oliver and Osoyoos, asking them to watch out for people in crisis and to bring them to the church if necessary.

Thorp said if the Oliver church receives more people than it can handle, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Osoyoos can open up in a heartbeat.

Tanner said people in the community have been phenomenal in their support. For example, she contacted Ye Olde Welcome Inn and they had soup ready in two hours. And the chef at Kismet winery dropped everything and offered food as well, she noted.

How does a person living on the street sleep in this weather?

With great difficulty, Tanner said. She recalled a young man with addiction issues staying in the waterpark bathroom in Oliver one winter.

“He succumbed that winter due to the elements, so it has now become a big passion (to help). If we can prevent one, if we can prevent two (from dying), we’ve done something.”

Tanner said it makes a world of difference to find a warm place to eat in this extreme weather.

The church shelter normally opens around 4 p.m. and hosts clients until 8 a.m. the next morning. During the shutdown, volunteers clean the church before opening again.

During that time, volunteers like Alejo Encina drive clients to other locations to stay warm, thanks to local individuals and businesses.

Tanner said the stories she hears reflect common problems that many of these people face: lack of resources, addictions, difficulty getting into recovery, and lack of identification.

“You can’t access assistance (without ID), you can’t book a hotel with no ID.”

Tanner said most of the rent in this area is 50 per cent of what these people make in income.

“We’ve had seniors go to food banks who have to make a choice between paying the car insurance and gas or paying for food. They are embarrassed; they worked hard all their lives and they have to make that decision.”

She said what a lot of people don’t realize is they are a paycheque from being homeless.

But the Cold Snap church is “community at its finest,” Tanner pointed out.

Thorp said what they are doing is part of the church’s DNA – helping the less fortunate through collaboration.

After seeing what she has seen, church helper Linda Tweedy said she feels very fortunate to have a warm bed to sleep in at night.