There was a spell of bitter Arctic cold this week in southern parts of Canada.
As the front passed through the southern Ontario city of Hamilton, emergency services had asked residents to keep an eye out for homeless people who may need help so they could be brought in to shelters and be safe from the bitter cold.
Since that advisory the Hamilton Paramedic Service had been called a few times about a homeless man sleeping on a park bench outside St Patrick’s Church . The Church on Victoria Street is in downtown Hamilton, an area where there are a number of homeless people.
As it turns out, the homeless person is not a person at all but in fact a bronze sculpture by Canadian artist Timothy P Schmalz and is called “Homeless Jesus” and features a man covered in a blanket lying on a typical looking park bench.
HPS operations manager Edward Harris says the service responds to all calls, and quoted in the Canadian Press adds, “It is heartwarming to see the public’s concern for the well-being of those in need.”
The Paramedics have also tweeted the location and description of the statue to educate the public, as well as to provide information about the city’s shelter services.
Artist Schmalz has similar Homeless Jesus bronze sculpures in Dublin Ireland, and the American cities of Washington, Chicago, Phoenix, and Grand Haven (Michigan).
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