October

2020

15:21 PM

America/Los_Angeles

Extreme weather spaces and temporary shelters opening throughout province

VICTORIA – People in need of a warm, safe place to go during the months ahead will have access to additional emergency shelter spaces through BC Housing’s temporary and extreme weather response shelter programs.

This season, BC Housing will be opening approximately 1,500 temporary shelter spaces and over 290 extreme weather response shelter spaces. These emergency shelters supplement the more than 2,250 permanent, year-round emergency shelter spaces. Over the coming months, BC Housing will continue to work with municipalities and communities to open even more shelter spaces, where there is an identified need in the community.

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, 2020 until March 31, 2021. 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.

In response to COVID-19, BC Housing worked with its partners to keep 185 temporary winter shelter spaces open throughout the summer months to ensure that people who were vulnerable to the virus had the ability to safely self-isolate and access hygiene facilities. These shelter spaces will remain open throughout the winter months.

These emergency shelter programs are made possible through partnerships 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 section.

Learn More:

To learn more about the emergency shelter program, visit: https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/homelessness-services/emergency-shelter-program

To see a map of permanent and temporary shelters in B.C., visit: https://smap.bchousing.org/

A backgrounder follows.

Contacts:

BC Housing
media@bchousing.org

BACKGROUNDER

List of temporary and seasonal shelters in B.C.

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 − 10 spaces

Abbotsford

1661 McCallum Road − 15 spaces
2616 Ware Street – 12 spaces (youth only)
1640 Riverside Road – 40 spaces
1670 Riverside Road – four spaces
33264 Old Yale Road – five spaces

Burnaby

2294 Douglas Road - 40 spaces

Campbell River

1221 Cedar St - 20 spaces

Castlegar

1007 2^nd Street- 12 spaces

Chilliwack

45845 Wellington Ave − 12 spaces (youth only)
46130 Margaret Ave − 26 spaces
46293 Yale Road − 48 spaces

Coquitlam

3030 Gordon – 10 spaces

Courtenay

632 Pidcock Ave – 12 spaces

Fort St. James

#375 Stuart Drive East – 12 spaces

Fort St. John

9824 99 Ave − 26 spaces

Kamloops

181 Victoria St W − 20 spaces
185 Royal Avenue − 25 spaces (open until December 31)

Kelowna

550 Doyle Ave – 40 spaces (Opening December 1)
1265 Ellis Street – 40 spaces (Opening November 2)

Kitimat

480 City Centre – four spaces

Langley

5787 Langley Bypass − 30 spaces

Maple Ridge

22188 Lougheed Highway - 30 spaces
22239 Lougheed Highway − 25 spaces

Merritt

2038 Nicola Avenue − four spaces (additional spaces to be confirmed)

Mission

7368 Proctor Avenue – six spaces (youth only)

Nanaimo

595 Townsite Rd − 30 spaces

Penticton

352 Winnipeg Street – 42 spaces

Port Alberni

3939 8th Avenue − 15 spaces
3978 8th Avenue − 12 spaces

Port Hardy

8635 Granville Street − 10 spaces

Prince George

144 George St – 10 spaces
590 Dominion Street – 15 spaces
140 Quebec St − 15 spaces

Prince Rupert

1080 3rd Ave W − 35 spaces

Quesnel

146 Carson Ave − 10 spaces

Salmon Arm

551 Trans Canada Highway − 21 spaces

Salt Spring Island

268 Fulford-Ganges Road - 30 spaces

Sechelt

5653 Wharf Avenue − 20 spaces

Sooke

2197 Otto Point Road − 17 spaces

Surrey

10776 King George Blvd. − 50 spaces
10607 King George Blvd. − 42 spaces
10677 Whalley Boulevard − 40 spaces
14716 104 Avenue − 40 spaces
10667 135A Street − 40 spaces
14716 104 Avenue – six spaces

Terrace

4444 Lakelse Ave – 20 spaces
2812 Hall Street − three spaces

Trail

1458 Bay Avenue − six spaces

Vancouver

828 Cambie St. - 20 spaces (Men only)
134 East Cordova Street – 40 spaces
119 E Cordova St.- 30 spaces
1060 Howe Street − 40 spaces
342 Alexander Street – 21 spaces (women and those who self-identify as female only)
1401 Hornby Street − 40 spaces
1648 East 1st Avenue – 40 spaces
1138 Burrard Street – 12 spaces (youth only)
131 Dunlevy Avenue – 16 spaces (women and those who consider self-identify as female only)
340 Alexander St – 23 spaces

Victoria

2915 Douglas Street − 50 spaces
1450 Elford St – 25 spaces
932 Balmoral Road – 60 spaces
1240 Yates Street − 48 spaces

Extreme weather response shelter locations:

NOTE: Sites in Italics and red may change to operate as a temporary shelter rather than EWR