Marisa Collison, 18, spent the second night of 2019 sleeping in a storage closet inside the underground parking lot at Citi Plaza.

That is, some of the night.

"I have faith that I'll make it through another day, 'cause hey, I haven't died yet. - Marissa, a homeless youth in London

Partway through, Collison and her friends were booted from their hiding spot after leaving a door ajar. Collison says she spent the rest of the night sleeping in a large grey cart she uses to transport her belongings.

"I have so much stuff to carry around, most of it clothing, so I don't look like a homeless bum and get kicked out of everywhere I try to go," said Collison.

Aside from clothes, Collison's cart contains a small side table, several grocery bags full of sentimental items, and a notebook with the words "Be Brave" written in cursive on the front cover.

For Collison, they're words to live by.

"I have faith that I'll make it through another day, 'cause hey, I haven't died yet," she said, adding that survival comes despite nights sleeping outside in sub-zero temperatures, with nothing but a single blanket.

Why not go to a shelter?

On the front cover of Marisa Collison's notebook are the words "Be Brave," which Marisa takes to heart as she spends nights sleeping outdoors.

Marissa's story emerges as London's shelters deal with increased demand and limited funding.

In December, the Rotholme Women's and Family Shelter reported operating at 150 per cent capacity and that the organization was too cash strapped to continue paying for hotel and motel bills.

Earlier that month, one staff position at the Anova counselling and support centre operating out of the Wellington Road shelter was cut.

Collison says that even when there are beds available, staying in a shelter can feel riskier than braving the outdoors.

At one London shelter, she says, overdoses are common, and there's little to stop other clients from absconding with her stuff.

"You worry about a lot of things," she said. "You worry that possibly these people will attack you, they'll steal your things, they'll pretend you're friends so they can get stuff from you."

As winter pushes on, Collison said she doesn't know what the future holds.

"I'm just thinking and hoping we survive it through this winter, because we've lost a lot of people out here."