For many people in Yorkton, the cold of winter comes with it鈥檚 own set of problems. Will the car start in the morning? Will the furnace hold out all night? Just how many layers should we put on before leaving the house? But there are people who wish they could have those problems, and just finding a place to stay warm is a struggle. The Coldest Night of the Year event, which supports Yorkton Transitional Homes for Youth, aims to shine a light on the homelessness problem and raise money to help.
The plans for this year鈥檚 event are the same as they were in 2019, explained Glenda Gascho, one of the event organizers. People will meet at St. Paul鈥檚 Church on Smith Street on Feb. 22. Three routes will be available, depending on how far people want to walk, whether they want to go 2 km, 5 km or 10 km.聽 Registration begins at 4:00 p.m., and the walk will begin at 5:00 p.m. Food will be served after the walk, and walkers will receive a Coldest Night of the Year toque.
This year, the funds will be going to support the YTHY鈥檚 outreach program, which operates out of their rooming house in he city.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e finding is that demand is higher than what we can provide. So, this year we鈥檙e looking to enhance that portion of the program to ensure that we have more to give away.鈥�
One of the things on offer through the outreach program is transportation. She notes that there are many youth in the program who work in retail stores until late, for example, and there鈥檚 a gap in transportation as the bus service doesn鈥檛 run late at night.
鈥淭he transportation piece is definitely a big one because they can鈥檛 afford vehicles.鈥�
Homelessness is a hidden problem in Yorkton, Gascho explained. Many homeless people in Yorkton are effectively couch surfing, going from the homes of friends and acquaintances.
鈥淚t鈥檚 constantly moving around but not having a solid place to be.鈥�
There are also gaps in Yorkton, as there is not currently a place for men to go if they find themselves homeless. Gascho said that one of their goals is to focus on in the future, as it is a gap in the city, and raise awareness of what the problem actually looks like in Yorkton.
鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 not as visible as it is in a big city people don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 actually a problem here but the reality is when you look at the statistics that we keep as part of our funding there鈥檚 a lot of individuals who are definitely in that category of jumping from one place to another, can鈥檛 seem to find that one location that they can afford and make some progress.鈥�
One of the new things this year is the Coldest Day of the Year event that schools can take a part in. In previous years, the event took place after February break, so it was difficult for schools to take part. The Coldest Day event gives schools the flexibility to pick the day they can hold an event. Schools can sign up at , and at press time Parkland College is a school listed in Yorkton.
鈥淚t really gets the youth involved so they can understand what it鈥檚 all about,鈥� said Gascho.
Right now, they鈥檙e looking for teams and walkers. Everyone who wants to sign up is invited to go to to register, whether as a walker, part of a team, or start their own team. Registration is $25, but the fee is waived if they raise enough money 鈥� $75 for youth or and $150 for adults. They are also looking for sponsors. Businesses can put their names on signs through the route for $250. They are also looking for volunteers, including a volunteer photographer to take photos along the route. Anyone with questions can call 306-783-2340.
