The provincial government has announced they are funding 550 extreme weather shelter spaces across Metro Vancouver this winter.
The spaces are used to house homeless and at-risk individuals when the overnight temperature dips below zero. They are in addition to 1,100 permanent shelter beds that are open year round.
“In Metro Vancouver, the province provides around $115 million annually to support more than 7,000 individuals who are homeless with a variety of housing options. The extreme weather shelters help to make sure that everyone has a warm, safe place to stay when the weather is at its worst,” said Housing Minister Rich Coleman.
The latest statistics from the City of Vancouver show homelessness has remained steady, with 1,600 people identifying as homeless in 2013 compared t0 1,602 people in 2012.
However, the number of people accessing shelters increased from 1,296 in 2012 to 1,327 in 2013.
A full list of emergency shelters is available here.
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