'Shame on the city': Advocate for Marpole’s homeless community calls for better warming centre planning

A person bundled up in a heavy jacket for the cold weather wears a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Vancouver, on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

An advocate for homeless people in South Vancouver says they're furious at the city after learning the new warming centre in the Marpole neighbourhood wont be open Tuesday night.

Amal Ishaque, one of the people behind the grassroots collective Marpole Mutual Aid Network (MMAN), describes communication with the city as “an exhausting cycle on repeat” that they've endured for months.

Furious at the city. They knew cold snap was coming. Yet again, we emailed urging to give at least a few days notice on the Marpole warming centre opening tonight so we don’t have to literally scramble to get word out on the streets. Months of this exhausting cycle on repeat

— Amal امل اسحاک (@movementauntie) February 21, 2023

“They knew a cold snap was coming. Yet again, We emailed urging to give at least a few days notice on the Marpole warning centre opening tonight so we don’t have to literally scramble to get word out on the streets,” Ishaque wrote on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s not enough that we have to create the flyers, physically get the word out to unhoused neighbours spread out in the area, and post on local groups online etc. They can’t even provide adequate notice,” their post continued.

Had the city provided more notice, Ishaque says community members could have prepared by handing out transit tickets and given people directions to nearby supports.

“Some neighbours don’t read English, others don’t have access to check online city notices,” her tweet reads, adding that the closest alternative warming centre at the Langara YMCA is "too far" for many.

Temperatures in Vancouver are forecast to be “low zero” overnight, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Tuesday’s forecast also includes a 60 per cent chance of showers in the evening, with flurries expected over higher terrain.

Hail was already hammering down in parts of the city as of 4 p.m.

According to ECCC, winds will gust to 20 km/ h, reaching up to 60 km/h over southern sections of the city.

The City of Vancouver’s criteria for activating extreme weather response alerts includes “temperatures near zero” with “rainfall that makes it difficult or impossible for those experiencing homelessness to remain dry” or “0 C with wind chill.”

Online, the city announced it would be making nine additional shelter spaces and warming centres available Tuesday night through Thursday.

Please share: Additional shelter spaces and warming centres are available tonight through Thursday, February 23, due to an Extreme Weather Alert.

Details below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/gFgrxqcKiH

— City of Vancouver (@CityofVancouver) February 21, 2023

CTV News has reached out to the city for more informaation as to why four warming centres will remain closed, including Marpole Neighbourhood House’s, plus ones at the Mount Pleasant and West End community centres and Odd Fellows Hall.

Ishaque says the city told them Marpole's warming can’t open Tuesday due to staffing levels.

They're not satisfied by city’s assurance that the Marpole warming centre will open Wednesday.

“The downloading of life-saving outreach to community conveniently falls on mutual aid groups,” they wrote. “Shame on the city.”