Gordon Kelter has something to fear more than not having a bed to sleep in at night — catching COVID-19. “Worried about catching it?
Are you kidding me?” said Kelter as he searched behind some dumpsters for his backpack on a recent night in Calgary’s downtown East Village neighbourhood.
Kelter, who has been homeless for years, said he has started to sleep on a friend’s couch until the pandemic blows over. He has slept in some awful places, including concrete parkades, he said.
But the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus has him avoiding shelters. “It’s not like I like to sleep on the streets. It’s awful,” he said. “I won’t go near the Drop-In Centre.