“I Have Faith”: Kookum’s Frantic Plea as City’s Shelter Gaps Leave People in The Cold
MEDICINE HAT, AB – As a dangerous cold snap tightens its grip on the prairies, an urgent and raw plea for help is echoing from the front lines of Medicine Hat’s homelessness crisis—not from city hall, but from a community elder who is watching people with no other options try to survive in the elements.
Geraldine, one of the NIitistapi Kookums (grandmothers), has issued a desperate call for immediate action and basic supplies, revealing a devastating gap in the city’s emergency response. In a social media post, she outlined a crisis that exists in the shadows of official systems.
“Legit we have Approx 15 people out in the elements who cannot access shelter—social anxiety, bans, etc.,” she wrote. “Those are the ones that we need shelter for during this cold snap… I knew it was too good to be true.”
Her inventory of resources is nearly depleted: “We are down to 1 tent and 2 tarps.”
Dec 11 2025 Facebook post
Her message is a stark indictment of systemic failure paired with a fierce, practical vision for immediate solutions. She is not just asking for charity; she is demanding municipal action and community mobilization.
“We need an ATCO trailer set up even if it’s in a church parking lot or near the arena. GET A DAM SYSTEM IN… USE A SEACAN EVEN SET UP WITH HEATERS… OPEN CITY HALL LOBBY WHERE THE CHAIRS ARE REMOVED AND LAY DOWN MATS AND BLANKETS FOR PEOPLE TO GET REFUGE,” she urged. “SURELY SOMEONE WITH AN EMPTY SPACE SOMEWHERE… WE HAVE THE VOLUNTEERS WE JUST DON’T HAVE THE SPACE.”
This plea comes against the backdrop of Medicine Hat’s longstanding failure to establish a permanent 24/7 shelter, a project mired in delays and secrecy for over three years. The city’s existing shelter has only 35 overnight beds and closes during the day, leaving a vulnerable population to fend for themselves. Official “extreme weather response” protocols often wait for formal Environment Canada alerts, while frostbite can set in on exposed skin in under 30 minutes in current wind chills.
The situation frames a damning contradiction: public outrage would rightly erupt if a pet were left tethered outside in the cold, yet human beings are expected to endure it with little more than a tarp for shelter. Occupational safety rules would forbid workers from similar exposure, but for those without housing, it is a mandatory condition of survival.
Geraldine’s call highlights the individuals who fall through the narrow cracks of even this inadequate system—those barred from the shelter, or whose trauma and mental health struggles make traditional congregate settings inaccessible. For them, a tarp or a tent is the last line of defense against -30°C cold. If they dare set up some sort of shelter such as a tent or a tarp, they can expect to get ticketed for “camping”. Advocates for the Vulnerable say that they are not “camping” they are just trying to survive. (In the past, Medicine Hat Police Officers have used their cars to keep people form freezing to death.)
“Not everyone has funding, not everyone has options,” Geraldine wrote, concluding with a powerful mix of exhaustion and determination: “I have faith.”
The response now falls to two groups: the City of Medicine Hat’s administration and elected officials, who have the authority and resources to activate emergency spaces immediately; and the community at large, which may have spare winter gear, tents, tarps, or access to empty, warm spaces.
The question hanging in the frigid air is who will answer the Kookum’s call before it is too late.
How to Help:
Community members with capacity to donate winter tents, heavy-duty tarps, sleeping bags, wool blankets, hand warmers, or insulated winter gear are asked to make contact through local outreach networks. Those with potential access to empty, heated spaces (warehouses, church halls, community centres) are urgently needed.
Community Resources List (City of Medicine Hat website)
This story was compiled from direct community appeals. Medicine Hat’s only independent news outlet is committed to reporting the voices and crises that go unheard.
Councillor e-mails
Linnsie Clark mayor@medicinehat.ca
Ted Clugston tedclu@medicinehat.ca
Bill Cocks bilcoc@medicinehat.ca
Chris Hellman chrhel@medicinehat.ca
Yusuf Mohammed yusmoh@medicinehat.ca
Cheryl Phaff chepha@medicinehat.ca
Dan Reynish danrey@medicinehat.ca
Brian Varga brivar@medicinehat.ca
Stuart Young stuyou@medicinehat.ca
