Vancouver opens up two warming centres

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With more snow and freezing temperatures, the homeless in Vancouver have less reason to fear being left in the cold.

Two community centres are being temporarily converted into warming centres.

The Britannia Community Centre is on Commercial Drive and the Creekside Community Centre is on False Creek.

Vancouver Park Board Chair Michael Wiebe says the measures are being taken because the permanent and temporary shelters are full, and to recognize a need that exists beyond the downtown core.

“The locations were chosen because of a need. A lot of the shelters are in the Downtown Eastside. These warming centres are a bit outside of that neighbourhood because we had requests for other locations.”

They will be open all night Saturday and Sunday nights until 7 a.m.

Cots won’t be provided, but coffee and refreshments will.

Faith groups are opening up extra space this weekend as well, such as the Khalsa Diwan Society on Ross Street.

Wiebe says this may be the start of an expanded program in the future.

“We are going to continue to review the operation of the warming centres. This is something new for us. In the future, we might, as a park board, work to make sure everyone has access to warmth and shelter.”

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