When extreme weather hits Squamish, there will now be a place for homeless people to find refuge from the cold. BC Housing announced on Friday (Oct. 5) it would be funding an emergency shelter downtown.
Fifteen cots will be available at the Squamish Helping Hands Society on Third Avenue. Jully Buckley, chair of the Extreme Weather Response Committee said she is thrilled with the announcement but hopes it is not mistaken as a fix for the affordable housing crisis in Squamish.
"It's absolutely a first step. It's not a solution," she said.
The centre will be open on days where the weather drops below 4 C, there is an extreme accumulation of snow, or another weather condition makes a night outside life threatening.
As it stands, Helping Hands is only able to open its doors three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The centre gives people a place to eat, shower and wash their clothes while getting shelter from the outdoors.
On an average day, about 60 to 70 people pass through the centre. Helping Hands acting coordinator Susan Barry described these people as "multiply-challenged," often struggling with mental illness, substance abuse and difficulties working at the same time. With the high cost of living in Squamish, she said these problems can lead to a steep spiral. Some of the people she helps are ex-employees of Woodfibre pulp and paper mill who, after losing work, turned to alcohol to escape their problems.
"Once you're down, it's really really hard to get back up," she explained.
This new service will make sure at least some of these people aren't curling up under patio decks when cool nights come.Last year, Barry said an especially frigid winter drove homeless people to new lengths.
"People are so resourceful. They're bunked down under somebody's stairs, in garages in sheds," she said.
In some instances, homeless people resorted to knocking on doors for help.These pleas may be curbed slightly when the emergency shelter opens. But Barry noted there are far more than 15 people struggling to find affordable housing in Squamish.
She estimated 300 people in the community rely on Ministry of Employment Income Assistance. This program allots $350 for housing; a number well below even the cheapest rent in town.Buckley said the shelter could help a few of these people survive the winter until an affordable housing problem is solved.
"They need to do something and this isn't it," she said.
For the shelter to operate, it will need two paid staff members to supervise the centre on nights it is open. Buckley admits she is worried about finding staff since the position does not offer reliable shifts. The earliest a person could be called into work is noon, just seven hours before the shelter opens. But with a pay of $17 an hour, she is aiming for a small group of applicants
"We are hoping to get enough people who are interested together so we can have a school of people to call," she said.
News of the shelter brought extra warmth to this year's Thanksgiving celebration at the centre. Word spread as volunteers carved three turkeys to serve 73 people.
The public will get the chance to take an inside look at Helping Hands during Homelessness Action Week. A tea will be held at the centre from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on October 17.
