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November 17, 2016 - 3:04 PM
The B.C. government is funding 10 extreme weather shelter spaces in Merritt this winter to help people whose health and safety may be threatened by cold, wet weather.
The Nicola Valley Extreme Weather Response Shelter, located at 2038 Nicola Ave., will offer temporary shelter space when an extreme weather alert is activated by the community.
The temporary spaces will be available from now until March 31, 2017. Communities decide 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.
The Province 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 7,100 people in B.C. were connected to housing, income assistance and a range of support services by provincially-funded homeless outreach and shelter workers.
"The demand for a safe and dry place to sleep increases as soon as winter weather sets in and we need these temporary spaces to complement our existing permanent facilities," says Jackie Tegart, MLA for Fraser Nicola.
Click here to see a map of permanent and temporary shelters in B.C.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016