By Spencer Sterritt

Nanaimo’s extreme weather shelter opening one hour earlier

Nov 1, 2018 | 4:30 PM

NANAIMO — This winter, those experiencing homelessness in Nanaimo will be able to find shelter one hour earlier.

The Unitarian Shelter on Townsite Rd. now opens at 5 p.m.

Shelter coordinator Kevan Griffith told NanaimoNewsNOW the hour change makes all the difference for those using the 32-bed shelter.

“An hour is the difference between ‘my feet are a little wet and my feet are soaking wet. I’m cold or I’m shivering.’” he said.

“They’re also not out in the dark so long, because not only as it gets darker does it get colder, but despair tends to set in. So bringing in people a little earlier tends to put them in a good mood.”

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Dinner is served around 6 p.m. at the shelter, so being inside earlier gives those seeking a bed a chance to relax and decompress before eating.

“I’m trying to make it more like a family atmosphere that way,” Griffith said. “This way they can come in, get a cup of coffee, take their wet clothes off and switch into sweatpants or a t-shirt and they can get comfortable.”

The extended hours is made possibly by a relatively small amount of funding from the City.

Griffith said opening earlier is something he’s wanted to accomplish for some time.

Though extreme weather shelter funding from the province officially started on Nov. 1, the Unitarian Shelter has actually been open since early July.

It received funding from BC Housing to help alleviate Nanaimo’s homelessness crisis.

A homeless count earlier this year determined there was between 315 and 400 people considered absolutely homeless, up considerably from roughly 175 in 2016.

Griffith said the shelter was at-or-near capacity during the summer and is expected to be full nearly every night in the winter.

Extreme weather shelters receive provincial funding when a certain cold temperature. The City provides funding on all nights which don’t meet the weather threshold, to keep the shelter open each day until the end of March.

The shelter’s third clothing drive is Saturday, Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Church.

Griffith said this year they’re looking specifically for sweatpants and coats. Anything they can’t use or receive too much of will be passed on to other agencies and schools.

“It’s more than just clothes for the shelter, it’s become clothes for the community.”
 

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit