People in need of a warm, safe place to go during the months ahead will have access to additional emergency shelter spaces through the Province’s temporary and extreme weather response shelter programs.
“During the colder months, it’s important that people experiencing homelessness in our province know that there is a place they can go to get warm and find supports and services that can help them stabilize their lives,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “As we continue the work of building permanent housing, we’re proud to work in partnership with communities and non-profit housing providers to provide these shelter spaces.”
This season, the Province will open almost 1,355 temporary shelter spaces and over 820 extreme weather response shelter spaces. These emergency shelters supplement the more than 2,000 permanent, year-round emergency shelter spaces. The Province will continue to work with municipalities and communities to increase temporary and extreme weather spaces this winter.
Temporary shelters will be open every night for the season. Many will be open 24/7 and offer meals. Some temporary shelters have already opened, with more to come later this season.
Extreme weather response shelters will be available from Nov. 1, 2019 until March 31, 2020. Individual communities establish a plan of the weather conditions that warrant an extreme weather alert and determine the number of spaces to activate on a given night, depending on the capacity of existing shelters and the estimated need.
These emergency shelter programs work with communities and non-profits throughout B.C. to provide temporary but immediate places to stay for anyone who is experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
A current list of temporary and extreme weather response shelters by community is included in the backgrounder below.
Quick Facts:
- The Province, through BC Housing, has opened more than 2,000 units of supportive housing, with an additional 800 underway. These developments are part of the government's Homes for BC housing plan to build a total of 4,700 units of supportive housing over 10 years.
Learn More:
To learn more about the Province’s emergency shelter program, visit: www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/homelessness-services/emergency-shelter-program
To see a map of permanent and temporary shelters in B.C., visit: www.bchousing.org/Options/Emergency_Housing/Map
A backgrounder follows.
Backgrounders
The below lists are not a final tally of shelters that will open this season.
BC Housing continues to work with communities to find suitable and appropriate locations to open more extreme weather response and temporary shelters this winter.
Temporary emergency shelter locations
100 Mile House
- 555B South Cedar Ave. – 10 spaces
Abbotsford
- 1640 Riverside Rd. – 40 spaces
- 33933 Gladys Ave. – 20 spaces (50+ years only)
- 2616 Ware St. – 12 spaces (youth 19 to 24 years only)
Burnaby
- 2294 Douglas Rd.– 40 spaces
Chilliwack
- 46130 Margaret Ave. – 26 spaces
- 46293 Yale Rd. – 45 spaces
- 45845 Wellington Ave. – 12 spaces (youth up to 24 years only)
Coquitlam
- Shelter location rotates monthly:
- October: 1415 Noons Creek Dr. – 30 spaces
- November: 1636 Regan Ave. – 30 spaces
- December: 2601 Spuraway Ave. – 30 spaces
- January: 825 St. Laurence St. – 30 spaces
- February: 1636 Regan Ave. – 30 spaces
- March: 1160 Lansdowne Dr. – 30 spaces
Cowichan
- 2003 University Way – 15 spaces (women only)
Cranbrook
- 533 Slater Rd. – 24 spaces
Kamloops
- 181 Victoria St W. – 25 spaces
Kelowna
- Working with the community to establish shelter spaces
Langley
- 5787 Langley Bypass – 30 spaces
Merritt
- 2038 Nicola Ave. – 10 spaces
Nanaimo
- 301 Machlearly – 35 spaces
Nelson
- 816 Vernon St. – five spaces
Penticton
- 1706 Main St. – 20 spaces
Powell River
- 4752 Joyce Ave. – 20 spaces
Prince Rupert
- 328 3rd Ave. W. – 15 spaces
Revelstoke
- Working with the City of Revelstoke to establish shelter spaces
Richmond
- 12040 Horseshoe Way – 15 spaces
Salmon Arm
Salt Spring Island
- 268 Fulford-Ganges Rd.– 30 spaces
Sechelt
- 5653 Wharf Ave. – 20 spaces
Surrey
- 10667 135A St. – 40 spaces
- 10677 Whalley Blvd. – 40 spaces
- 10607 King George Blvd – 42 spaces, opening in mid-November
- 10776 King George Blvd. – 50 spaces
- 14716 104 Ave. – 40 spaces
- 6595 King George Blvd. – 10 spaces
Trail
- 1458 Bay Ave. – six spaces
Vancouver
- 119 East Cordova St. (The Sutherland) – 30 spaces (men only)
- 119 East Cordova St. (Harbour Light) – 40 spaces
- 134 East Cordova St. – 40 spaces
- 1060 Howe St. – 40 spaces
- 1138 Burrard St. – 12 spaces (youth 19 to 24 years only)
- 131 Dunlevy Ave. – 16 spaces (women only)
- 1401 Hornby St. – 40 spaces
- 1648 East 1st Ave. – 40 spaces
- 609 Helmcken St. – 30 spaces
- 828 Cambie St. – 20 spaces (men only)
- 342 Alexander St. – 21 spaces (women only)
Vernon
Victoria
- 932 Balmoral Rd. – 55 spaces
- 2915 Douglas St. – 50 spaces
- 231 Regina Ave. – 25 spaces
- 1240 Yates St. – 48 spaces
- 919 Pandora Ave. – 35 spaces
- 755 Pandora Ave. – 40 spaces
- Private location – 30 spaces (youth only)
Extreme weather response shelter locations
Abbotsford
- 2884 Gladys Ave. – 30 spaces
- 33264 Old Yale Rd. – 10 spaces (women only)
- 1670 Riverside Road– 10 spaces (men only)
Burnaby
- 7540 6th St. – 27 spaces
- 8585 Armstrong Rd. – 27 spaces
Campbell River
- 690 Evergreen Rd. – six spaces
Courtenay/Comox Valley
- 632 Pidcock Ave. – 20 spaces
Delta
Duncan
- 2579 Lewis St. – 15 spaces
Fort St. John
Fort St. James
- 375 Stuart Dr. East – 12 spaces
Hope
- 650 Old Hope Princeton – 10 spaces
- 650 Old Hope Princeton – six spaces (women only)
Kitimat
- 480 City Centre – four spaces
Langley
- 5787 Langley Bypass – 15 spaces
Maple Ridge
- 22239 Lougheed Hwy. – 25 spaces
Mission
- 32646 Logan Ave. – 22 spaces
- 32646 Logan Ave. – six spaces (youth only)
- 33336 Second Avenue – 22 spaces
New Westminster
- 606 Clarkson St. – 30 spaces
North Vancouver
- 705 West 2nd St. – 20 spaces
- 225 East 2nd St. – 20 spaces
Port Alberni
- 3978 8th Ave. – 15 spaces
Port Coquitlam
- 2211 Prairie Ave. – 20 spaces
Port Hardy
- 7050 Rupert St. – 10 spaces
Prince George
- 1188 6th Ave. – 15 spaces
- 144 George St. – 10 spaces (women only)
- 140 Quebec St. – 15 spaces (men only)
Quesnel
- 146 Carson Ave. – 10 spaces
Squamish
- 37930 Third Ave. – 15 spaces
Surrey
- 5337 180 St. – 25 spaces
- 10635 King George Blvd. – 15 spaces (women only)
- 10453 Whalley Blvd. – 10 spaces (youth only)
- 13639 108 Ave. – 12 spaces
- 13686 94A Ave. – 15 spaces
- 14716 104 Ave. – 10 spaces
Terrace
- 2812 Hall St. – three spaces
- 4444 Lakelse Ave. – 20 spaces
Sooke
- #3-7450 Butler Rd. – 12 spaces
Vancouver
- 1138 Burrard St. – 15 spaces (youth only)
- 320 Alexander St. – 55 spaces
- 969 Burrard St. – 25 spaces
- 555 Homer St. – 20 spaces
- 11 10th Ave. West – 25 spaces
- 261 E. Hastings – 20 spaces
Victoria
- 1240 Yates St. – 15 spaces
- 525 Johnson St. – 30 spaces
White Rock
- 15262 Pacific Ave. – 25 spaces
https://news.gov.bc.ca/20901
Municipal Affairs
