Fewer extreme weather shelter spaces for Kamloops this year | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Kamloops News

Fewer extreme weather shelter spaces for Kamloops this year

A volunteer prepares beds at the Out of the Cold shelter. The shelter did not receive funding under the extreme weather response program this year but will still open every Wednesday night.
Image Credit: Facebook

KAMLOOPS - For those living on the streets of Kamloops winter is tough but in the past many could find a warm place to sleep on the coldest of nights thanks to spaces opened under the extreme weather response program with B.C. Housing. This year only 10 extreme weather shelter spaces will be funded.

Last year 28 spaces were funded at the Out of the Cold shelter. Under the program, the shelter opened its doors whenever the overnight temperature was set to drop below -7 Celsius. This year the province is funding just 10 spaces at the Emerald Centre, though the shelter also offers 35 other emergency beds year-round.

The temporary weather-related spaces are located at 271-275 West Victoria St. and will be available through the end of March whenever extreme weather alerts are issued. The Kamloops branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association will work with other partners to provide more spaces if required.

The 10 spaces are a small percentage of the 1,100 temporary emergency shelter spaces being funded by the province. In total up to $1.6 million will be provided to open up the spaces during extreme weather alerts.
 
Out of the Cold will still be providing the hot meals and 28 overnight spaces every Wednesday night at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Nicola Street.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014
iNFOnews

  • Popular vernon News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile