Vancouver's CF Pacific Centre allowing homeless to sleep on property at night

It’s a well-known downtown shopping destination in Vancouver, but now Vancouver’s CF Pacific Centre is providing a different kind of offering.

See also

• Homeless numbers in Vancouver have increased for another year in a row
• Burnaby's first year-round homeless shelter to open in Brentwood
• BC announces $6 million grant to help fight homelessness across province

Located on West Georgia Street, the mall has decided to permit homeless people to sleep on its properties.

In a statement to Daily Hive, a spokesperson for Cadillac Fairview – the owner of Pacific centre – said the company takes “the safety and security of our community very seriously.”

Within that context, the spokesperson said that as part of its security practice, “we respond to a variety of needs through the lens of those values and adjust our protocols as necessary.

As such, “our corporate approach is to allow our frontline personnel to engage with compassion and empathy.”

Homelessness is at its highest level in Vancouver since the city started the annual Homeless Count – back in 2002 – it was revealed earlier this month.

Those findings were part of a presentation to Vancouver city council on Wednesday, which looked at this year’s results.

In total, 2,223 people were identified as experiencing homelessness. Of these, 72% (1,609), were sheltered and 28% (614) were unsheltered.