The first ever year-round shelter in Burnaby will provide relief from nights on the street and give support and hope to people experiencing homelessness in the community, thanks to a partnership between the Province and the city.

Located at 2294 Douglas Rd. in the southern Brentwood area, the temporary shelter will provide up to 40 beds and is expected to open by the end of summer 2019 once renovations to the interior of the building are complete.

The Progressive Housing Society, an experienced, local non-profit, will manage the day-to-day operation of the shelter. A minimum of two staff will be on site 24/7 and the society’s outreach team will also be located at the shelter. Staff from Fraser Health will be on-site regularly for additional support as necessary. Shelter intake will occur during the day and visitors will not be permitted at the site.

The society will set up a community advisory committee prior to the shelter opening and will meet monthly to address any issues. The committee will include representatives from Progressive Housing Society, BC Housing, the City of Burnaby, Fraser Health and the RCMP, as well as community neighbours.

In addition, BC Housing will host community dialogue sessions in June and will invite neighbours to attend and learn more about the project.

BC Housing will enter into a three-year lease for the site. The site is already zoned appropriately, so there is no municipal process required.

The Province will provide annual operating funding to the Progressive Housing Society to manage the shelter.

A modular supportive housing project on Norland Avenue in Burnaby is also expected to open in summer 2019. The Progressive Housing Society will also operate this new supportive housing, which will provide 52 homes for people experiencing homelessness.

Learn More:

For more information about this project, visit: https://letstalkhousingbc.ca/burnaby

To see a map of permanent and temporary shelters in B.C., visit: http://www.bchousing.org/Options/Emergency_Housing/Map

To find out what the Province is doing to improve housing affordability, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/bc-government-addressing-housing-affordability-challenges

Read Homes for B.C., government’s 30-point plan to address housing affordability for British Columbians: bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2018/homesbc/2018_Homes_For_BC.pdf