The B.C. government will provide approximately $1.6 million this winter to make additional shelter spaces available in about 100 communities to help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with access to a safe, warm place to stay at night.
Close to 1,200 temporary shelter spaces will be available from now until March 31, 2016, whenever a community issues an extreme weather alert. Communities decide what weather conditions warrant an alert and how many spaces to activate on a given night, depending on the capacity of existing shelters and the estimated need.
These spaces supplement the more than 1,700 permanent, year-round shelter beds throughout the province. Most permanent shelters are open 24/7 and provide three meals per day.
The Province also funds outreach teams to help connect people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with housing and support services such as income assistance and mental-health and addictions services. Outreach workers assisted over 7,200 people last year.
Quote:
Rich Coleman, Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing –
“Each winter, the B.C. government works with communities and volunteers around the province to make sure that extra shelter space is available. These spaces supplement permanent, year-round services and provide an extra layer of support to make sure that everyone has a warm, safe place to stay.”
Quick facts:
- Since 2001, the B.C. government has invested $4.4 billion to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals, seniors and families.
- This year, more than 102,500 B.C. households will benefit from provincial social-housing programs and services.
- Last year, the Province provided approximately $213 million in funding for more than 13,000 permanent, year-round shelter spaces, subsidized units and rent supplements across B.C.
- Last winter, approximately $1.5 million in funding was invested by the Province to create more than 1,200 extreme weather shelter spaces in over 100 communities throughout the province.
- A list of all Extreme Weather Response shelter spaces is available at: http://www.bchousing.org/Options/Emergency_Housing/EXR
- A list of permanent shelter spaces is available at: http://www.bchousing.org/Options/Emergency_Housing/ESP
Learn more:
To receive notifications on when communities are issuing extreme weather alerts, please follow BC Housing on Twitter: @BC_Housing (twitter.com)
For more information on provincial affordable housing programs and efforts to end homelessness in B.C., please visit: http://www.housingmattersbc.ca/factsheets.html and: http://www.bchousing.org
A backgrounder follows.
Backgrounders
The Extreme Weather Response program enables communities to temporarily increase emergency shelter capacity during extreme weather conditions. Communities determine when to issue an extreme weather alert and how many spaces to make available on a given night.
The following locations across the province will offer temporary shelter space when an extreme weather alert is activated:
100 Mile House
- 99 Mile Motel, 896 Alpine Ave. / 10 spaces
Abbotsford
- Cyrus Centre, 2616 Ware St. / 10 spaces
- Centre of Hope, 34081 Gladys Rd. / 10 spaces
- Abbotsford Community Services, 33780 Laurel St. / 10 spaces
Burnaby
- Westminster Bible Chapel, 7540 6th St. / 27 spaces
- Burnaby Alliance Church, 8611 Armstrong Ave. / 30 spaces
Campbell River
- Safe Shelter, 1251 Cypress St. / 16 spaces
Chilliwack
- Ruth and Naomi’s Centre, 46130 Margaret Ave. / 18 spaces
- Brigadier Arthur Cartmell House, 45746 Yale Rd. / 10 spaces
- Cyrus Centre, 45845 Wellington Ave. / 12 spaces
Courtenay
- Pidcock Emergency Shelter, 632 Pidcock Ave. / 15 spaces
Cranbrook
- Kootenay Valley Community Church, 533 Slater Rd. / 24 spaces
Duncan
- Warmland House, 2579 Lewis St. / 15 spaces
Fort St. John
- Salvation Army Northern Centre of Hope, 9824 99 Ave. / 28 spaces
Grand Forks
- Boundary Emergency and Transitional Housing Society (BETHS), 7212 Riverside Dr. / seven spaces
Hope
- Thunderbird Extreme Weather Program, 63030 Flood Hope Rd. / five spaces
Kamloops
- Emerald Centre, 271-275 W. Victoria St. / 28 spaces
Kitimat
- Kitimat First Baptist Church, 840 Columbia Ave. / 15 spaces
Ladysmith
- Ladysmith Homeless Aid, 1149 4th Ave. / 10 spaces
Langley
- Gateway of Hope, 5787 Langley Bypass / 30 spaces
Maple Ridge
- Salvation Army Caring Place, 22188 Lougheed Hwy. / 15 spaces
Merritt
- Nicola Valley Extreme Weather Response Shelter, 1937A Quilchena Ave. / 10 spaces
Mission
- Haven in the Hollow, 32646 Logan Ave. / 15 spaces
Nanaimo
- Unitarian Extreme Weather Shelter, 595 Townsite Rd. / 24 spaces
New Westminster
- New West Extreme Weather Shelter, 606 Clarkson St. / 30 spaces
North Vancouver
- Lookout North Shore – Primary Site, 705 West Second St. / 20 spaces
- Lookout North Shore – Secondary Site, 225 East 2nd St. / 25 spaces
Parksville
- Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness, 187 Alberni Hwy. / eight spaces
Port Alberni
- Port Alberni Shelter, 3978 8th Ave. / 15 spaces
Port Coquitlam
- Tri-Cities Extreme Weather Shelter, 2211 Prairie Ave. / 20 spaces
Port Hardy
- Out of the Cold – Lighthouse Resource Centre, 8635 Granville St. / 12 spaces
Prince George
- Bridget Moran Shelter, 590 Dominion St. / 10 spaces
- AWAC Women's Shelter, 144 George St. / 10 spaces
- Ketso Yoh Men's Shelter, 160 Quebec St. / 10 spaces
Quesnel
- Seasons House, 146 Carson Ave. / 10 spaces
Richmond
- Richmond House, 3111 Shell Rd. / six spaces
- St. Albans Inn from the Cold, 7260 St. Alban's Rd. / 16 spaces
Saanich
- Victoria Native Friendship Centre, 231 Regina Ave. / 25 spaces
Salmon Arm
- Lighthouse Inn from the Cold, 441 3rd St. SW / 12 spaces
Salt Spring Island
- In From The Cold, 268 Fulford-Ganges Rd. / 20 spaces
Sechelt
- Sunshine Coast EWES – St. Hilda’s Church, 5838 Barnacle St. / 10 spaces
Smithers
- Broadway Place, 3827 Broadway Ave. / two spaces
Squamish
- Extreme Weather Emergency Shelter at the FireHouse, 37930 Third Ave. / 15 spaces
Surrey
- Cloverdale Community Kitchen, 5337 180 St. / 15 spaces
- Hyland House Newton, 6595 King George Blvd. / 15 spaces
- Legacy Church EWR, 9012 160 St. / 20 spaces
- Positive Haven EWR Shelter, 10697 135A St. / 10 spaces
Terrace
- Ksan Extreme Weather Shelter, 3312 Sparks St. / 20 spaces
- Ksan Extreme Weather Shelter, 2812 Hall St. / three spaces
Trail
- La Nina EWR Shelter of Greater Trail, 1458 Bay Ave. / six spaces
Vancouver
- Directions Youth Service Centre, 1138 Burrard St. / 18 spaces
- Evelyne Saller Centre, 320 Alexander St. / 40 spaces
- Men’s Hostel, 828 Cambie St. / 20 spaces
- First Baptist Church, 969 Burrard St. / 25 spaces
- The Gathering Place, 609 Helmcken St. / 40 spaces
- St. Mark's Extreme Weather Shelter, 1805 Larch St. / 25 spaces
- The Salvation Army - Belkin House, 555 Homer St. / 20 spaces
- Harbour Light, 119 East Cordova St. / 40 spaces
Vernon
- Gateway Support Services for Women and Men, 2800 33rd St. / 10 spaces
Victoria
- Our Place Society, 919 Pandora Ave. / 50 spaces
- Victoria Addictions & Rehabilitation Centre, 525 Johnson St. / 30 spaces
- Cool Aid Seasonal Shelter, 755 Pandora Ave. / 40 spaces
White Rock
- First United Church, White Rock, 15385 Semiahmoo Ave. / 15 spaces
https://news.gov.bc.ca/09745
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