VERNON – It’s not only full, they’re turning people away. The Gateway Shelter in Vernon is over capacity and unable to keep up with demand, as more people who live on the street are looking for a warm place to stay as the temperature dips.
“These are unprecedented numbers,” says Kelly Fehr, Vernon’s program director with the John Howard Society. “We’ve never turned so many people away, especially women.”
With the temperature dipping below zero overnight, the shelter has been able to add ten extra mats where more people will sleep. But with the weather warming up a few degrees, those mats aren’t allowed to be used tonight, meaning more people will likely be sleeping on the street.
Even with the extra beds over the past week there’s been a waitlist of upwards of ten people a night.
“The lack of shelter beds in Vernon is an issue and you should care,” says Fehr. “You should care because people with addictions are people. It’s not a moral failure it’s a medical condition. There’s too much stigma attached and we need to open up our hearts and our understanding and learn more about these issues so we can provide services to people who deserve them.”
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