Advocates concerned as Richmond prepares to close 2 overnight warming centres

Richmond's two overnight warming centres are set to close Monday, and one outreach worker tells CTV News now is not the time to take away resources from a growing homeless population.

"There's going to be a lot more people on the street," said Hugh Freiberg, who delivers meals to Richmond's homeless population six nights a week.

Freiberg says he's witnessed a disturbing trend in his community.

"Another person died last week," said Freiberg. "I'm seeing it now like once a week or at least a couple (times) a month in Richmond, whereas before it was … maybe once a year. All of a sudden it's blowing up."

He says the homeless population is a mix of people with addiction issues, refugees and even some elderly pensioners who fell on hard times.

James Caspersen manages Richmond's overnight warming centres and says plans are in place for everyone who has relied on the service over the last few months.

“We’ve got folks lined up for treatment, we’ve got a couple of people whose tenancy starts on April 15 and we have referrals for people with more appropriate shelters in place for the rest,” said Caspersen, an executive director with the Turning Point Recovery Society, a non-profit that receives funding from the City of Richmond.

Caspersen tells CTV News that Richmond's homeless count in March 2023 was 162, but he believes the number is declining.

“We’ve placed 25 people in permanent housing with wrap-around supports," said Caspersen. "That outpaces our best year so far. So these are people who are living in private market apartments – basement suites, things like that – on their own.”

Richmond's mayor admits finding a solution isn't easy and says the city is constantly working with the province and federal government on funding and resources for the community's most vulnerable.

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have any of the tents around," said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. "But we live in a region, in a province, in a country where there are plenty of homeless people and so we try and support them as best we can.”

B.C.'s Ministry of Housing told CTV News that Richmond's emergency shelter spaces operated at 87 per cent capacity from January to March of this year.