A nightly shelter is now providing a warm meal and a comfortable place to sleep for up to 50 people a night.
Since Sept. 1, a shelter has been operating in the basement of the former Army & Navy Department Store at 502 Columbia St. It will be open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., seven nights a week, until March 31, 2023.
The City of New Westminster partnered with B.C. Housing on the shelter, which is operated by the Lower Mainland Purpose Society. The space was used as an extreme weather response shelter until March 31, 2022, on nights when an extreme weather alert was called as conditions were deemed to threaten the lives or safety of persons without homes.
Mason Fehr, shelter coordinator for the Purpose Society, said clients have expressed “a lot of gratitude” for the facility.
“It took us until Sept. 1 to open, so by the time we did, they were extremely grateful to have a space indoors to sleep,” he said.
Fehr said the shelter had 36 clients on Sept. 5, with many of them being repeat visitors. With 35 to 46 people staying in the extreme weather shelter on the nights it was open, he expects this shelter will get close to its 50-person capacity as the weather changes.
The majority of the beds in the shelter are for men, but it also has a separate, smaller section with cots for women and another area that has a couple of cots for couples. Beds can be shifted around to meet the needs of clients staying at the shelter.
“We do have a reserved bed system,” Fehr added. “Right now, I think we have about 35 reserved beds.”
Fehr said it’s very common for clients to disappear for a night here and there, so their file is left open.
“If they don't come back within like two or three days, and the shelter's getting close to capacity, we may have to give their bed away,” he said. “But generally, we try to keep it as low barrier as possible.”
When the shelter opens at 8 p.m., clients enter through a door facing Front Street and stop at the desk, where they’re assigned a bed and given clean linens. In the shelter’s dining/gathering area, clients can enjoy a meal, either provided by the Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar in Queensborough (three nights a week) or the Purpose Society.
“We serve dinner up until 11 p.m.,” Fehr said. “Lights begin to go out about 10/10:30 p.m. and then at 11 p.m. lights are out. The patrons get to sleep and then at about 6 a.m. is wake-up and breakfast time.”
For folks wanting assistance on a variety of issues, such as finding longer-term housing, shelter staff are able to refer them to caseworkers at the Purpose Society’s main office on Begbie Street.
At the shelter, staff keep busy preparing, cooking and serving food and doing the intake procedures. They also supervise bathroom access and do rounds every 10 to 20 minutes through the cot area and the area outside the shelter.
“We try our best to meet clients where they're at because many people are not ready to be clean when they're staying in a shelter,” Fehr said. “There is no using (drugs) inside the shelter for safety reasons, obviously. But if they are coming here and they're under the influence and not disruptive … we will still accommodate.”
Fehr said people who use are encouraged to stay near the shelter and have somebody with them.
“We just can't have it in the building,” he said. “We have staff doing rounds outside as well.”
24-hour a day shelter sought
In November 2021, city council approved a temporary use permit that allows the building at 502 Columbia St. to be used as a shelter.
Mayor Jonathan Cote said the shelter is a good interim measure that addresses some immediate housings challenges until the new supportive housing development on Sixth Street is completed.
BC Housing plans to build a 52-unit supportive housing development at 60 to 68 Sixth Street to provide homes and a range of support services.
In July, city staff said BC Housing, the Purpose Society and the City of New Westminster have been working together to create an emergency response centre that would operate 24/7 and include shelter and support services at the former department store site.
John Stark, the city’s supervisor of community planning, said BC Housing engaged a code consultant because some upgrades will be required to the building if it’s to be used as an 24/7 shelter, rather than a nightly shelter that’s open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. He said upgrades would be required to the building, as well as sanitation.
“That code consultant has completed their work; they're looking at some of the building systems in that structure. And we hope to have more information back by probably the end of August, first week of September,” he told council. “And when that information is available, a decision will be made as to a 24/7 shelter, because I guess it will be the cost of those upgrades.”
Stark also noted the building’s owner would have to be supportive of any upgrades being proposed to the building.
In a statement to the Record, BC Housing said it is thankful for the partnership support that has resulted in the opening of the 50-bed nightly shelter.
“Our contribution of more than $637,000 for shelter operations through to March 31, 2023 means people at risk of and experiencing homelessness have a warm, safe place to sleep this fall and winter,” said the statement. “There is consideration to transition the site to a 24/7 Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in the future; however, we are in the process of determining the cost associated with upgrades to the building to support 24/7 operation. This work is being supported by an architect and structural engineer.”
Because the shelter is not a BC Housing-owned facility, it notes that upgrades and operational changes would require support of the building’s owner. It will update the community on any future operational changes.
According to BC Housing, the building has been valuable shelter for people at risk of and experiencing homelessness in the community. During the shelter’s operation as an extreme weather response centre last season, it supported about 780 visits between Nov. 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.
How to help?
The Lower Mainland Purpose Society welcomes donations of clothing and food for the shelter.
Fehr said any clothing donations are appreciated, including socks, underwear and winter garments.
“Anything and everything,” he said. “A lot of clients come in, and they might only have one change of clothes. If they need it washed, we'd like to be able to provide something for them to wear in the meantime.”
Anyone wishing to make donations can call the Purpose Society head office at 604-526-2522 and arrange to drop off items at the office or the shelter.
