Vancouver opens new temporary winter shelter ahead of forecasted cold snap

A new temporary winter shelter opens its doors today in downtown Vancouver, just days away from the forecasted bout of chilly winter weather.

The 40-bed facility, located at 1401 Hornby St., will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the end of April 2017.

In addition to providing bathrooms and showers, the "low-barrier" facility will accept couples and pets — and provides locked storage space for personal belongings.

The facility is operated by RainCity Housing, in partnership with BC Housing and the City of Vancouver. Sean Spear, associate director of RainCity, said the goal is to connect clients with long-term housing solutions.

"We want to have as much turnover as possible, to get people into more permanent and stable housing," Spear said.

A 'barrier-free' approach

Spear said some people avoid traditional shelters for fear of being separated from a pet or loved one, or because they can't bring their personal belongings. He said barrier-free shelters like the new Hornby Street facility allay those concerns for people.

"They're able to get rest, and they're able to receive services throughout the day with some of our clinical partners,"

Spear said in his experience, the presence of pets at similar shelters has not posed a problem.

Spear said while open drug use is not permitted, clients are not searched for drugs, and being under the influence is not cause for people to be turned away from the shelter. He said staff are trained to intervene in overdose situations, including with the use of naloxone.

The City of Vancouver has operated its temporary winter shelter program since 2009, opening additional shelter spaces during the winter months. With the new facility, the program now provides 195 beds between the months of December and April.