Leamington woman calls for compassion while experiencing homelessness

As temperatures drop, the need for a warm place to stay goes up. Essex County is struggling to meet the demand.

For the past five years, Dinia Delisle has been trying to survive the night.

The 56-year-old said she has spent years sleeping wherever she can find a bit of shelter from the cold — in front of buildings, in snow and ice, and occasionally inside places that offer brief warmth before she is told to leave.

“I sleep on ice. I sleep on the snow. I sleep wherever I can keep warm,” Delisle said in an interview with CTV News in Leamington.

Delisle said she has struggled to find a consistent place to sleep after selling her home five years ago and cannot afford the cost of rent, despite having her belongings in storage and feeling ready to move into an apartment.

“I’ve been waiting four years to be able to get my stuff out of storage to have a place of my own,” she said. “I’m ready to furnish an apartment, but no single person can afford $2,000 a month — or even $1,500 — if they’re not working.”

She said staying warm during winter nights has become one of her biggest challenges, describing being told to leave indoor spaces such as laundromats or banks, even when she said she was a paying customer.

“You get tired of being in the cold. You get tired of fighting the elements,” Delisle said. “Sometimes you can’t even feel your fingers or your feet.”

Delisle said the experience has left her feeling stigmatized and judged.

“They look at the stereotypes. They look at us like we’re nothing,” she said. “We are human beings like everybody else, and we should be treated as such.”

She said access to basic necessities can also create barriers to stability, including keeping a cellphone — something she describes as essential for finding work.

“An employer wants to call you. If you don’t have a phone, they can’t reach you,” she said, adding theft is a common concern among people experiencing homelessness.

Delisle is currently staying at the Essex County Homelessness Hub in Leamington, which she describes as a place where people are welcomed and treated with dignity.

Officials there have reported a surge in demand over the last year.

As colder temperatures set in, she says compassion is critical — not just from service providers, but from the broader community.

“I don’t wish this on anybody,” she said.

Delisle also points to what she believes is a broader policy failure, calling for more affordable housing and stronger support for people without shelter.

“If Canada can help newcomers, then Canada should be able to help the homeless,” she stated. “Affordable housing should be affordable — eight or nine hundred dollars. That should be equal across the board.”

She said the consequences of exposure can be devastating, recalling friends who suffered severe frostbite while living outdoors.

“I’ve had friends lose their feet, lose their legs,” she said. “This is not something I wish on anybody.”

Despite her circumstances, Delisle said she remains grounded by her family. She said she was married and is the mother of two adult children, whom she describes as her world.

“Everybody has feelings. Everybody’s human,” she said. “Everybody should be treated as such.”