'Heartbreaking and so concerning': Many shelters full as Vancouver's homeless face freezing temperatures

Several warming centres have been opened across Vancouver to provide the city’s homeless population refuge from this week’s freezing weather.

The centres are activated when temperatures reach -4 C or when the weather feels like -5 C, and are intended as a “life-saving measure for people sleeping outside,” the City of Vancouver said in a statement.

“While they are not set up with beds or mats, hot drinks and snacks are available,” the city said. 

In addition to warming centres, Vancouver has also opened five temporary shelters that contain mats for people to sleep on. The full list of locations is available online.

Some, however, refuse to leave their tent. One man camping on Gore Avenue told CTV News he refuses to go to a shelter for fear of his own safety.

Asked how he plans on staying warm through the night, he said: “Through the warmth of our lord Jesus and prayers, and maybe some candles and blankets.”

Vancouver firefighters caution that open flames and electric heaters have led to a major rise in tent fires.

“We’re encouraging people to get into shelter, that way they’re not relying on their tents and open flames to stay warm,” said Matthew Trudeau, public fire official with Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services.

But finding a shelter may be a challenge. Space is usually limited and the cold appears to have increased demand.

“There’s definitely not enough space,” said Rachael Allen, outreach worker with the Union Gospel Mission. “We have a 92 bed shelter at UGM and we’ve been tracking the numbers from January all the way to now, and we’ve seen that we’ve had to turn away an average of six people per night to tell them that we don’t have enough space for you.”

Allen says the addition of temporary space has alleviated some demand, but more work needs to be done.

“It’s heartbreaking and so concerning,” said Allen. “We have people come and say ‘I need a place to sleep,’ and we have to say ‘I’m sorry, we’re all full and we have nowhere else to send you.’”

City of Vancouver workers and police are working on outreach to make people aware of shelter options.

“It’s extremely cold and dangerous for anyone sleeping outside,” said Sgt. Steve Addison. “Our officers are checking on people throughout the city to offer assistance. We have blankets, and thanks to funding from the Vancouver Police Foundation, we’re able to arrange free cab rides to shelters for anyone who wants to get inside for a bit.”

The city is also inviting the public to seek shelter and warmth during the day at community centres and public libraries.