The B.C. government is funding 10 extreme weather shelter spaces in Penticton this winter to help people whose health and safety may be threatened by cold weather.
The temporary spaces are available at Cold Snap Inn at Cheers the Church, 639 Main St. until March 31, 2016 as extreme weather alerts are issued.
“Volunteers in our community work hard to ensure that temporary shelter is available to protect homeless people during the most extreme weather,” said MLA Dan Ashton. “We can’t predict when bitterly cold weather will hit the South Okanagan, but we can be prepared.”
Each community decides what weather conditions warrant an alert and how many spaces to activate on a given night, depending on the capacity of existing shelters and the estimated need.
Throughout British Columbia, close to 1,200 temporary emergency shelter spaces will be available this winter in about 100 communities.
The provincial government also funds outreach teams to help connect people with a range of services such as housing, health care and community supports. Last year, more than 7,200 people in B.C. were connected to housing, income assistance and a range of support services by provincially funded homeless outreach and shelter workers.
A list of permanent shelter spaces is available at: www.bchousing.org/Options/Emergency_Housing/ESP.
To receive notifications on when communities are issuing Extreme Weather Alerts, follow BC Housing on Twitter: @BC_Housing