Requirements necessary to provide an emergency cold/wet weather shelter for Powell River’s homeless are quickly falling into place.
“A decision was made that the Salvation Army will lead the charge in trying to open up an emergency shelter very soon,” said Powell River Employment Program (PREP) Society executive director Lyn Adamson, who attended a recent meeting of a community housing group where the decision was made.
PREP, Community Resource Centre, The Salvation Army, School District 47, Vancouver Coastal Health, civic politicians and individual citizens attended the meeting on Tuesday, January 17.
The Salvation Army volunteered its expertise and facility on Joyce Avenue in taking the lead on the project.
According to Salvation Army captain B.J. Loder, the first step in moving forward was taken on Monday, January 23, with the start of a homeless count that will take approximately two weeks to complete.
The count is necessary in order to apply for and receive funding from BC Housing.
“It’s to have an accurate idea of whether we’re dealing with five people, 10 or 20, so we can prepare accordingly,” said Loder.
But people behind the shelter are not waiting for the money. Currently, preparations include an extreme-weather response plan and determining what conditions will constitute opening the shelter, said Loder.
“There needs to be criteria for what temperature constitutes extreme weather,” he said. “We could have one to two nights of a cold snap. It could be a month. Once we commit we’re in and we want to do it right.”
School District 47 has volunteered to supply mattresses and BC Ambulance Service will provide blankets. The shelter will also require volunteers to supervise when it is open and a decision has to be made on who will make the call to open it, said Loder.
Powell River Community Resource Centre manager Martyn Woolley said to arrive at this point took only weeks, which is unique to rural communities.
“That’s the benefit of being in a small town,” said Woolley. “It doesn’t take a whole lot bring everybody together and make that happen.”
