By Ian Holmes

Homeless shelter beds in Nanaimo in high demand

Dec 1, 2016 | 3:49 PM

NANAIMO — Emergency shelter space in Nanaimo is at a premium, according to local operators, who report demand has spiked as temperatures drop.

The 24-bed Extreme Weather Shelter for men and women at First Unitarian Church on Townsite Road is operating at 97 per cent, according to shelter coordinator Kevan Griffith.

“We’re pretty much full every night. I’m sure we will hit 100 per cent — we were a bit slow in the first week,” he said.

Griffith reports private funding has allowed the shelter to open an hour earlier every night at 6 p.m., which is a bonus, especially with the weather expected to cool down further.

“Generally we have people ready here at six waiting to come in but they have to wait.” 

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He says opening earlier gets their clients out of generally unfavourable conditions faster, as well as fed and in dry clothes sooner. The co-ed, low-barrier shelter opened in late October and will remain open through the end of March. Griffith says the most people they can take in a night is 26 and they’ve been forced to turn people away lately.  

The 24-bed Salvation Army Hope Centre shelter on Nicol Street has been operating at a 106 per cent occupancy rate so far this year, according to director of community ministries Rob Anderson. He says they do what they can to ensure people who don’t want to sleep outside don’t have to.

“Once the Unitarian is full we will open our resource room and put mats down and we will take the overflow,” Anderson said. He says they have room for 10 extra guests, which has not been fully utilized yet. He says trends are emerging among their clientele this year.

“We are seeing lots of new people and more of a challenging demographic.” 

Anderson says they accept intoxicated clients as well as women if other shelters are full.

A lack of shelter space is more dire at Samaritan House, the city’s lone women-only shelter, also located on Nicol Street. Program director Ronell Bosman says their 14-bed shelter has been overflowing with a 118 per cent occupancy rate in October. She says the latest data shows that 79 women had to be forced away in October. She says up to five mats are placed on the floor to handle extra clients.