Vancouver shelters prepare for cold snap
Shelters are preparing for an overflow of homeless people this week as a cold snap is expected to hit B.C.’s South Coast.
While much of Canada has been in a deep freeze this winter, Metro Vancouver has been enjoying unseasonably mild temperatures.
But meteorologists say that’s going to change beginning today. Arctic air is expected to whip across the South Coast, causing the mercury to plunge five to 10 degrees lower than normal, making it the coldest conditions yet this winter.
A weather alert for possible snowfall in Metro Vancouver on Sunday remained in effect Saturday. Environment Canada is forecasting overnight temperatures this week as low as -6 C.
While that may not seem very cold to other residents in the country braving -30 C or lower, the problem in the Lower Mainland is that homeless people won’t be prepared, according to Jeremy Hunka, a spokesman for the Union Gospel Mission.
He says when Vancouver has a mild winter, many homeless people are blindsided by a sudden drop below zero.
He says many already have compromised immune systems, and he’s worried hypothermia or pneumonia could lead to fatalities.
“We don’t want to see anyone lose their life. This is a terrible time of year,” he said Saturday, as the shelter began preparations for the cold snap in the week ahead.
The shelter has 72 beds yearround, but in the winter they open up an overflow shelter with up to 20 mats for people to escape the cold. He says they have already been at capacity a few times in January so they are expecting it to be “very crowded” this week. The mission is planning on bringing in extra staff to help with the overflow.
Union Gospel Mission staff members have been stocking up their van in preparation to drive around providing blankets, sweaters and jackets to those who, for whatever reason, can’t get to a shelter.
However, the UGM is short on supplies and is asking for donations such as winter weather gear or money. Those who want to help can find information on the most urgently needed items on the UGM website here.
Hunka says there are many reasons homeless people may choose to remain outside on freezing winter nights. They may have a mental illness and can’t sleep next to someone in a shelter, or it may have to do with the fact there are not enough spaces for the number of homeless people in the city.
The last city of Vancouver homeless count in March found 2,181 people were “facing homelessness,” 43 (two per cent) more than in 2017, which saw a 16-per-cent rise from 2016.
The first Metro Vancouver youth homeless count in October found at least 681 young people are experiencing homelessness across the region.