A group of Yaletown residents are up in arms after the city decided to set up a temporary cold weather shelter in their neighbourhood without consulting them.
The shelter going up in the 1200-block of Seymour Street is one of four temporary spaces Vancouver has committed to providing to keep 160 homeless people indoors as the weather turns.
But some in the area say there are already two special service groups on the block, including Covenant House, and they’re frustrated the city never discussed the plans with them.
“It strikes me as a bad idea to introduce a population like that into a space for children,” said mother-of-two Susan Martyn.
“According to the city’s own statistics somewhere upwards of 40 per cent of homeless people are addicts. And so with that comes intravenous drug use, dirty needles and drug dealers.”
Vancouver announced the four cold weather shelters, which will operate between the end of November and May, in an Oct. 24 news release that did not specify where they would be located.
The facilities will supplement the city’s 638 year-round shelter beds and roughly 200 Homeless Emergency Action Team, or HEAT beds, and be operated by the Raincity Housing and Support Society.
There are rules for those who choose to stay there, including a ban on drugs or violence. Pets and personal belongings are welcome.
Councillor Kerry Jang said the shelters actually help reduce Vancouver’s homeless population.
“We do have a problem with homelessness in the area. We’re trying to solve it,” Jang said. “We’re trying to get them inside so we can move them onto housing throughout the city, away from the area, but this is the very first step.”
Residents of a The Space condo complex down the street from the shelter are meeting Thursday with representatives from the city to discuss a plan of action.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Jina You
