Winter weather makes becoming sober while homeless more difficult. Here's why:

As people walk outside in the cold for a fundraiser which aims to simulate a small part of being homeless, a Windsor man who experiences homelessness as a daily reality says the frigid conditions are a major barrier in his ability to become sober.

Dubbed "The Coldest Night of the Year," participants are encouraged to walk a two, five or 10-kilometer route in their local community, giving them a taste of what it's like to be outside in the cold for an extended period.

Jay Arruda, a client of the Downtown Mission who spoke with CTV News hours before the fundraiser began Saturday, said he started to become addicted to drugs and alcohol in high school.

Arruda said his life turned around when he became sober at the age of 21. He also credits a coffee shop which opened in Windsor five years ago and served as a safe space for people battling addiction for his success.

The coffee shop, which Arruda said he often frequented, closed in 2020. That's the year when the now 25-year-old relapsed.

"For the past three winters now, I've been homeless. It's crazy. It's like a concrete jungle," he said.

According to Arruda, the withdrawal process is difficult enough, but when coupled with the harsh elements of winter, it can become nearly unbearable.

That's because the effects of withdrawal, often a necessary step for individuals who have developed physical dependence on drugs or alcohol to become sober, are heightened in bitter cold weather, he said.

"You're already shaking because it's cold outside. Now, you're got to worry about a whole other handful of things," said Arruda.

"You're puking. Your head hurts. You're restless, irritable, discontent and you can't sit still

For the past three years, Arruda said he has been coming to the Downtown Mission of Windsor for temporary shelter.

According to executive director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin who said, "The Coldest Night of the Year" is the Mission's biggest fundraiser annually, its food bank has seen the biggest increase in terms of need.

"At the beginning of last year, we had maybe 1,100 people coming to the food bank every month. At the end of last year, we had over 2,000 people coming every month to the food bank," said Ponniah-Goulin.

She added the need has resulted in changes to the Mission's financial structure in the past few years. According to Ponniah-Goulin, the Mission started receiving federal funding provided by the City of Windsor.

The funding helped increase its operational space and maintain its '24/7, 365 days a year' model of service.

"How do we attack this issue of homelessness? We can only do it one little thing at a time. Each individual person out in the community has to think about what they can do to help," she added.

While Ponniah-Goulin suggests donating as one way to help Windsor's homeless population, she encourages people to get involved in a face-to-face manner.

"Come stand with us ... We definitely need volunteers in our food bank and in our kitchen. Those are two areas where we definitely need more help right now," she said.

As for Arruda, he said homelessness is not something he thought he would experience after becoming sober three years ago but "once you think that, you get cocky."

He hopes people understand just how difficult it is to become sober while homeless and is calling for greater empathy and understanding from the community.

"Having the shakes when you're outside on the concrete or on a sleeping bag, it's the worst possible thing any of us are going through," said Arruda.

"It's like the flu but 100 times worse. For people who think it's easy to just stop, that's a fairy tale ... especially when you're outside in the cold."

While the Downtown Mission played host to one of the "Coldest Night of the Year" walks in Windsor, a second walk was also held Saturday by the UHC-Hub of Opportunities in the city's east end.

The annual fundraiser takes place on the last Saturday in February which is considered the coldest time of the year in many parts of Canada.