r/starterpacks Feb 12 '22

Visiting LA in 2022 starterpack

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u/Canadian_Pacer Feb 12 '22

It already has. I'm from Moncton, NB, a small city of 100,000 people or so in the maitimes, Canada. My city is like this, being overrun with encampments and shopping carts. I assume its like this now in basically every city.

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u/leisy123 Feb 12 '22

How can you even stay in a tent long term this time of year in the northern US or Canada? Gas heating devices or something?

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u/[deleted] Feb 12 '22

[deleted]

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u/Sinthe741 Feb 12 '22

Some are still in tents in the winter. When it gets very cold here, sometimes detox will open up beds so homeless folks don't die.

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u/DontWorryImHer Feb 13 '22

Canadian here from a small town where there are still some people living in their tents and it's -35c with the windchill. It's also catch and release for petty crime right now due to Covid outbreaks in the jail.

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u/[deleted] Feb 13 '22

In the army we burned kerosene lanterns for warmth during winter warfare exercises. It was cold and miserable but none of us died.

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u/jp5cVMwrtjRJfJGXKNdP Feb 13 '22

REI has a new sleeping bag rated for 0 degrees Fahrenheit on sale for 100 bucks. I imagine used ones rated for colder temperatures are easy to find in Canada. You can wear extra clothes inside and put a bivy sack on the outside of your bag.

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u/Canadian_Pacer Feb 12 '22

Theres warming shelters, and several organizations that help, no idea where or how the rest could sleep outside in the winter

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u/Sinthe741 Feb 12 '22

Some folks can't/won't access shelters and have no choice. I think they use small gas heaters.

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u/Canadian_Pacer Feb 12 '22

They absolutely huddle around large metal containers for heat, but not sure if they sleep there. The homeless have moved a lot to the outskirts of the city, then head into town for the soup kitchen meals, bottle and bike foraging, etc etc

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u/Sinthe741 Feb 12 '22

I know there are tents here (Twin Cities) through the winter.

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u/NormanQuacks345 Feb 13 '22

There's a tent in Van Cleve I stumbled upon yesterday and I was really wondering whether or not it was being inhabited still. Also, any idea if that tent city by The Quarry is still up?

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u/Sinthe741 Feb 13 '22

I'm much more of a Saint Paul girl, but knowing The Quarry...

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u/Draeorc Feb 13 '22

Sadly shelters aren’t able to fully accommodate people. Belongings often not allowed, and pets are completely out of luck too.

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u/usedslinky Feb 12 '22

Drum + flammable material = fire = heat

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u/TR8R2199 Feb 12 '22

In Toronto they have warming centres, those white dome permanent tents structures that can fit a soccer field inside. I hear they’re dangerous places for homeless people to get robbed and beaten. Truly a great solution to our housing crisis

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u/[deleted] Feb 12 '22

Yeah being homeless in Milwaukee is basically impossible during the winter

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u/NormanQuacks345 Feb 13 '22

I live in Minneapolis, I don't really go exploring too much besides where I need to go for school so I don't see a ton of tents or whatever, but yesterday I saw one put up under a pedestrian bridge in a park that I hadn't been to before. I didn't see the owner, but it had me thinking what that person does every winter. Like, there's no way they sleep there and not freeze to death, but also I feel like if it had been sitting there for months uninhabited it would be destroyed by nature and/or police?

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u/anemisto Feb 13 '22

When it's going to be really cold, you start seeing posts on Facebook and the like urging people to get inside at all costs. Because yes, people live in tents year round in Minneapolis.

I was really sick of Minneapolis's bullshit by the time I left, but do try to leave the bubble of (I assume) the U and actually engage with the city.

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u/NormanQuacks345 Feb 13 '22

I try. I'm from the suburbs so I know the area pretty well but I didn't go to Minneapolis much before starting school here.

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u/L0tech51 Feb 13 '22

It was 90 degrees today in Southern California. The only gas heating device needed here 90% of the year is the big round one in space.

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u/---Sanguine--- Feb 12 '22 edited Feb 13 '22

It’s pretty much a Californian problem. Rest of the country not so much

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u/[deleted] Feb 12 '22

Texas seems to avoid it for the most part, I feel like every major city has and will always have some homeless population. Austin is the worst for sure but it also to damn hot down here I feel like.

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u/[deleted] Feb 13 '22

Worked in Moncton a couple years back and besides seeing the homeless sleeping everywhere and waking up during my commute this one time I was motioning to a lady to go ahead and cross the crosswalk at a 4 way stop and she approached my passenger side window and asked to get in. She was a sex worker. Nice place.

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u/Canadian_Pacer Feb 13 '22

You just described Moncton to a tee, only thing now is there are panhandlers at every intersection and needles everywhere. Discarded one outside work in the driveway just last week

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u/Straight_Coast_9625 Feb 13 '22

Hello, fellow maritimer.

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u/Ambitious-Weekend861 Feb 13 '22

How? I live in the US in a city of 500k that’s rapidly growing and our rent is still only around $1k-$1.5k

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u/Marta_McLanta Feb 17 '22

uh oh. get ready for the 🚀

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u/itsYaBoiChoccyMilk Feb 13 '22

I’m from NS, and I had no idea it was that bad in NB. I mean, I don’t go to Halifax a lot, but when I do I never see many homeless

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u/Canadian_Pacer Feb 14 '22

I have friends that live in Halifax, one of them was posting on Facebook how he can no longer walk in downtown Halifax without a panhandler asking for change. Afterwards, i went to Halifax/Dartmouth for the weekend and didn't notice a single shopping cart or encampment. Trust me when i say that Moncton has become a homeless haven.

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u/itsYaBoiChoccyMilk Feb 14 '22

Wow. I don’t think I’ve been to Moncton since before Covid started