As many 15 extreme weather shelter spaces are now open at the Helping Hands society in Downtown Squamish.
The extreme weather response spaces have been available since November 1 and will be available up to March 31, 2019.
Local government will have the ability to decide how many spaces to activate on a given night, depending on the capacity of existing shelters and the estimated need, the province said.
All temporary shelter spaces will be open overnight and every night, with many open 24/7, as well as providing meals.
Squamish is one among the 65 communities where the province has added over 750 extreme weather response shelter spaces and 1,400 temporary shelter spaces to serve the homeless and other vulnerable communities.
The provincial government said it plans to add more temporary shelters and extreme weather shelters when needed and where it considers them appropriate.
The temporary and extreme weather response shelter spaces add to the nearly 2,000 permanent, year-round shelter spaces available throughout the province.
A new provincial government initiative will also have outreach teams work 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.
David Lassmann says
I’m sure that the spaces will be appreciated by some of our local homeless people. Homelessness is a problem in probably every community in Canada, although it is actually a natural condition resulting from poverty. I thought that army bunkhouses might suffice, but some homeless people don’t get along with others.
Still others will not tolerate any sort of officialdom and prefer to stay out on their own. They will still be at risk.