Vancouver temporary shelters at capacity within hours of opening

Vancouver winter homeless shelters opened yesterday and were at capacity within hours, according to a release from the City of Vancouver.

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That equates to about 170 additional beds and the four shelters they’ve set up are turning people away. The city says they desperately need more.

“Urgent demand for access to Vancouver’s emergency winter shelters is a reminder of the need for further shelter spaces to provide Vancouver’s homeless population with a warm, safe space to sleep,” reads the release.

The B.C. government and city of Vancouver provided over $2 million to operate these shelters and they say they are going to dedicate $85 million from the Capital Plan to support and create 2,550 social housing units.

For the 2016 budget, the city will set aside nearly $30 million to meet social and affordable housing needs.

The four temporary shelters are at the following locations:

• 1648 East 1st Avenue
• 900 Pacific Street
• 119 East Cordova Street
• 134 East Cordova Street

In these colder months, you can help out by donating to a shelter or volunteering your time. The four temporary shelters are run by RainCity Housing Society and the Salvation Army and will run until the end of April of 2016.