Fraser Valley – It is the time of year when places must be put in place for extreme weather shelter spaces across the Fraser Valley.
ABBOTSFORD – The B.C. government is funding 30 extreme weather shelter spaces in Abbotsford this winter to help people whose health and safety may be threatened by cold, wet weather.
The temporary spaces will be available from now until March 31, 2016 as Abbotsford issues extreme weather alerts.
“Each year, we work with the organizations in our community to ensure we have adequate shelter space available to provide an extra layer of support during the cold and wet winter days,” Abbotsford South MLA Darryl Plecas said.
Temporary shelters will be located at:
· 10 spaces at Cyrus Centre, 2616 Ware Street
· 10 spaces at Centre of Hope, 34081 Gladys Road
· 10 spaces at Abbotsford Community Services, 33780 Laurel Street
MISSION – The B.C. government is funding 15 extreme weather shelter spaces in Mission this winter to help people whose health and safety may be threatened by cold, wet weather.
The temporary spaces will be available from now until March 31, 2016 at Haven in the Hollow, 32646 Logan Avenue as Mission issues extreme weather alerts.
CHILLIWACK – The B.C. government is funding 40 extreme weather shelter spaces in Chilliwack this winter to help people whose health and safety may be threatened by cold, wet weather.
The temporary spaces will be available from now until March 31, 2016 as Chilliwack issues extreme weather alerts.
“The cold and wet winter conditions puts vulnerable people at risk,” Chilliwack MLA John Martin said. “We are committed to working with organizations in our community to provide extra shelter spaces during extreme weather conditions.”
Temporary shelters will be located at:
· 18 spaces at Ruth and Naomi’s Centre, 46130 Margaret Ave
· 10 spaces at Brigadier Arthur Cartmell House, 45746 Yale Rd
· 12 spaces at Cyrus Centre, 45845 Wellington Ave
Each community decides 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.
Throughout British Columbia, close to 1,200 temporary emergency shelter spaces will be available this winter in about 100 communities.
The provincial government also funds outreach teams to help connect people with a range of services such as housing, health care and community supports. Last year, more than 7,200 people in B.C. were connected to housing, income assistance and a range of support services by provincially funded homeless outreach and shelter workers.
A list of permanent shelter spaces is available at: www.bchousing.org/Options/Emergency_Housing/ESP.
To receive notifications on when communities are issuing Extreme Weather Alerts, follow BC Housing on Twitter: @BC_Housing
