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A newly opened cold weather shelter at Caledonia Park is proving a daytime warming space for those experiencing homelessness, or needing a break from the sub-zero temperatures. (submitted photo/Justice Chalifoux)
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New shelter in Nanaimo providing additional options to escape frigid cold

Dec 30, 2021 | 1:02 PM

NANAIMO — Those experiencing homelessness or needing a warm space now have another option.

An extreme weather daytime shelter began operation at Caledonia Park on Monday, Dec. 27, open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on days when outside weather conditions pose a risk to health and safety.

No specific conditions, such as temperature, were defined but the shelter has space for up to 12 people and is operated by the Nanaimo 7-10 Club Society.

“Having a number of choices to shelter in extreme weather ensures more individuals the opportunity to utilize services in which they feel comfortable doing so,” Gord Fuller, executive director of the 7-10 Club, said in a release.

Demand for the shelter has been high with 12 users taking advantage of the site on Monday, with 18 spending time inside on Tuesday, Dec. 28 and Wednesday, Dec. 29.

The City-funded space is in addition to two other facilities on Wallace St., being operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association, and Commercial St. operated by Rise Bridge Project.

A daytime warming centre originally opened in early December through the Society for Equity, Inclusion and Advocacy, however it was forced to close a week after it began operating after funding for the society was allegedly stolen by a now-former employee.

Three overnight options remain in Nanaimo, with St. Peter’s Church on Machleary St. providing 24 beds from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. through to the end of March.

Those beds are operated in a partnership between the Nanaimo Family Life Association and the local chapter of the John Howard Society.

Year-round emergency shelter options are also available at the Unitarian shelter on Townsite Rd. and the New Hope Centre on Nicol St.

Operated by the 7-10 Club, a cold weather shelter is available during extreme cold events for those needing a break from the snow. (submitted photo/Justice Chalifoux)

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