October

2018

12:50 PM

America/Los_Angeles

Temporary and extreme weather response shelters open in B.C.

VICTORIA – With colder weather already hitting parts of the province, the Government of B.C. is opening additional shelter spaces to ensure people experiencing homelessness have access to a safe and warm place to stay.

“Temporary and extreme weather shelters are crucial to ensuring the health and safety of people living on the street and getting them out of the cold and wet weather,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “These shelters not only have the potential to save lives — they also assist people in accessing the support and services they need to achieve housing stability.”

In partnership with municipalities and non-profits in approximately 65 communities around B.C., the Province is providing more than 1,400 temporary shelter spaces and over 750 extreme weather response shelter spaces.

All temporary shelter spaces will be open overnight and every night, with many open 24/7, as well as providing meals. Many temporary shelter spaces have already opened for the season and more will continue to open starting Nov. 1, 2018.

The additional extreme weather response spaces will be available from Nov. 1, 2018, until March 31, 2019, and will open when 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.

The temporary and extreme weather response shelter spaces supplement the almost 2,000 permanent, year-round shelter spaces available throughout British Columbia. More temporary shelters and extreme weather shelters may be added throughout the season when needed and where appropriate.

The Government of B.C. also funds outreach teams that work throughout the province at shelters and on the street to help connect people experiencing homelessness with housing and support services, such as income assistance and mental-health services.

A complete list of shelters by community is included in the backgrounders below.

Quick Facts:

Through the Building BC Rapid Response to Homelessness program, the Province is investing $291 million to build 2,000 homes throughout B.C., and more than $170 million over three years for 24/7 staffing and support services. More than 2,000 of these homes have been announced in 22 B.C. communities.
The Province is also investing $1.2 billion over 10 years in the Building BC: Supportive Housing Fund, which will create 2,500 units of supportive housing for people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The opening of temporary and extreme weather shelters build on the work government is doing to reduce poverty in British Columbia. In October 2018, the B.C. government introduced the Poverty Reduction Strategy Act. Informed by thousands of people who participated in a comprehensive public consultation, the act sets out targets and defines the scope of the poverty reduction strategy, which will be released in early 2019.

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

Two backgrounders follow.

Contacts:

Rajvir Rao
BC Housing
604 456-8917

Lindsay Byers
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
250 952-0617

BACKGROUNDER 1

Temporary shelter locations

100 Mile House

555B South Cedar Ave. – 10 spaces

Abbotsford

1640 Riverside Rd. – 40 spaces
33933 Gladys Ave. – 15 spaces (50+ years only)
2616 Ware St. – 12 spaces (youth 19 to 24 years only)

Chilliwack

46130 Margaret Ave. – 26 spaces
45845 Wellington Ave. – 12 spaces

Coquitlam

Shelter location rotates monthly:
- November: 1636 Regan Ave. – 30 spaces
- December: 2601 Spuraway Ave. – 30 spaces

Cranbrook

533 Slater Rd. – 24 spaces

Kamloops

185 Royal Ave. – 40 spaces

Kelowna

1157 Sutherland Ave. – 35 spaces
425 Leon Ave. – 80 spaces

Langley

5787 Langley Bypass – 30 spaces

Maple Ridge

22188 Lougheed Hwy. – 30 spaces
Shelter location rotates monthly:
- November: 20399 Dewdney Trunk Rd. – 20 spaces
- December: 20639 123 Ave. – 20 spaces
- February: 20450 Dewdney Trunk Rd. – 20 spaces
- March: 20639 123 Ave. – 20 spaces

Merritt

2038 Nicola Ave. – 10 spaces

Nanaimo

595 Townsite Rd. – 30 spaces

Nelson

816 Vernon St. – 5 spaces

Parksville

170 W Hirst Ave. – 8 spaces

Penticton

1706 Main St. – 29 spaces
2604 Skaha Lake Rd. – 20 spaces

Powell River

4752 Joyce Ave. – 20 spaces

Prince Rupert

328 3rd Ave W. – 25 spaces

Salmon Arm

441 3rd St. – 16 spaces

Sechelt

5653 Wharf Ave. – 20 spaces

Surrey

10667 135A St. – 40 spaces
10677 Whalley Blvd. – 40 spaces
10776 King George Blvd. – 50 spaces
13733 92 Ave. – 15 spaces (women only)
14716 104 Ave. – 40 spaces
6595 King George Blvd. – 10 spaces

Terrace

4444 Lakelse Ave. – 20 spaces

Trail

1458 Bay Ave. – 6 spaces

Vancouver

119 East Cordova St. (The Sutherland) – 30 spaces (men only)
119 East Cordova St. (Harbour Light) – 40 spaces (men only)
134 East Cordova St. – 40 spaces
1060 Howe St. – 30 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)

Vernon

2804 33rd St. – 40 spaces
2800 33rd St. – 13 spaces

Victoria

1240 Yates St. – 45 spaces
1450 Elford St. – 30 spaces (youth 15 to 25 years only)
2915 Douglas St. – 50 spaces
932 Balmoral Rd. – 55 spaces
231 Regina Ave. – 25 spaces
755 Pandora Ave. – 40 spaces

Contacts:

Rajvir Rao
BC Housing
604 456-8917

Lindsay Byers
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
250 952-0617

BACKGROUNDER 2

Extreme weather response shelter locations

The following locations will offer temporary shelter space when an extreme weather alert is activated.

More extreme weather response shelters may be added throughout the season. Updates to this list can be found at: www.bchousing.org/Options/Emergency_Housing/EXR

Abbotsford

34081 Gladys Ave. – 20 spaces
2884 Gladys Ave. – 30 spaces
33264 Old Yale Rd. – 10 spaces (women only)
108A - 32883 South Fraser Way – 10 spaces

Burnaby

7540 6th St. – 27 spaces
8585 Armstrong Rd. – 20 spaces

Campbell River

690 Evergreen Rd. – 6 spaces

Courtenay

632 Pidcock Ave. – 20 spaces

Delta

4960 48 Ave. – 9 spaces

Duncan

2579 Lewis St. – 15 spaces

Fort St. John

9824 99 Ave. – 26 spaces

Hope

650 Old Hope Princeton – 15 spaces

Kitimat

480 City Centre – 4 spaces

Ladysmith

631 1st Ave. – 10 spaces

Langley

5787 Langley Bypass – 15 spaces

Maple Ridge

22239 Lougheed Hwy. – 25 spaces

Mission

32646 Logan Ave. – 21 spaces

New Westminster

606 Clarkson St. – 30 spaces
402 East Columbia St. – 8 spaces (women only)

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
140 Quebec St. – 15 spaces
144 George St. – 10 spaces

Prince Rupert

328 3rd Ave. W. – 25 spaces

Quesnel

146 Carson Ave. – 10 spaces

Richmond

3111 Shell Rd. – 6 spaces (men only)
10100 South Arm Pl. – 20 spaces

Smithers

3827 Broadway Ave. – 2 spaces

Squamish

37930 Third Ave. – 15 spaces

Surrey

5337 180 St. – 15 spaces
10635 King George Blvd. – 15 spaces (women only)

Terrace

2812 Hall St. – 3 spaces
4444 Lakelse Ave. – 20 spaces

Vancouver

1138 Burrard St. – 15 spaces (youth only)
320 Alexander St. – 40 spaces
969 Burrard St. – 25 spaces
555 Homer St. – 20 spaces

Victoria

919 Pandora Ave. – 15 spaces
919 Pandora Ave. – 30 spaces
525 Johnson St. – 30 spaces

White Rock

15262 Pacific Ave. – 25 spaces

Contacts:

Rajvir Rao
BC Housing
604 456-8917

Lindsay Byers
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
250 952-0617