Penticton emergency cold weather shelter closes but no guarantee it'll reopen
During the cold snap this past weekend, a temporary 30-bed overnight shelter was set up at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Penticton.
It operated overnight only from Friday, Nov. 11, until Monday morning but is now closed.
“We expect more shelters will open in the coming weeks and months in many communities around the province,” B.C. Housing said in an email to iNFOnews.ca.
“We have funding available to open additional shelters; however, there are challenges in some communities with identifying suitable sites and securing shelter operators to support this vulnerable population.”
READ MORE: Grim winter ahead for those sleeping rough in Kelowna
B.C. Housing did not say in the emailed statement if the Penticton church may be used when temperatures dip again this winter.
“This is a fluid situation, as I’m sure you can understand, so I don’t have exact answers for you,” a follow-up emailed statement from the government agency said.
Kelowna's Gospel Mission has funding for a 60-bed shelter in the old B.C. Tree Fruits building in the North End of downtown but can only open 30 beds because it hasn’t been able to hire enough staff.
“In addition to shelters already in operation, outreach workers are actively connecting with people sleeping outdoors to ensure they’re aware of drop-in services and resources, including warm clothes, access to meals and other community-based support services," B.C. Housing said.
In addition, it said in the statement it's working to address the root causes of homelessness and has opened 2,125 affordable homes in the north and central Interior since 2017.
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