A warming centre, set up six weeks ago, will close at its current location on Thursday, Jan. 20 despite what organizers say are many successes. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

community crisis

‘We have to close:’ downtown Nanaimo warming centre in limbo over City support

Jan 19, 2022 | 3:43 PM

NANAIMO — The future of a warming shelter in Nanaimo is up in the air.

The Warmreach Warming Centre, operated by non-profit Risebridge Project, has enough funding to operate until the evening of Thursday, Jan. 20, at which point it will have to move on.

Risebridge Project executive director Jovan Johnson said to date they’ve been operating thanks to the generous donations from the community, but it’s not enough to keep their doors open any longer.

“We have to close because we don’t have support, meaning we don’t have City support, we don’t have bylaw support, we haven’t really had RCMP support and the community is divided. Fifty per cent of the community doesn’t believe in this and 50 per cent does.”

The centre provided a warm, dry space for those experiencing homelessness to escape the winter elements. Donations of boots, socks and other winter supplies were handed out along with supports to access social services.

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Johnson said their current location at 380 Terminal Ave. was a donated lease from Crankshaw Holdings, but said the company needs to move on due to multiple complaints from neighbouring businesses.

The goal is to keep a warming centre operating, but where and what it looks like remains unclear. Other indoor locations or even an outdoor tent are all possibilities up for discussion.

Risebridge began providing a warming shelter in the community after the Society for Equity, Inclusion and Advocacy (SEIA) closed its doors in December following an alleged theft by a former employee.

Since operating for the last nearly seven weeks, Risebridge said they’ve seen over 300 different people visit the centre with an average of about 150 people a day.

The group said they’ve had no adverse incidents or RCMP calls.

Executive director of Risebridge Jovan Johnson said their hearts are committed to continuing to operate the warming shelter, but they currently don’t have the funding to do so. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Presentation made to Council
Johnson made a presentation to the City of Nanaimo during their Wednesday, Jan. 19 Finance and Audit Committee meeting, asking for support to operate through to the end of winter.

During the meeting, Mayor Leonard Krog expressed his disappointment with Risebridge for an early January social media post where they accused the City and the RCMP of “stealing” the belongings of people experiencing homelessness.

In the post, Risebridge took exception to the City clearing out an encampment under the Bastion St. bridge and neighbouring parkade on Jan. 5, claiming residents were given no advance notice.

City staff told NanaimoNewsNOW via a statement, bylaw officers had issued two warnings to vacate prior to the clean out.

“I am not fond of an organization who thinks it’s appropriate to issue a release and then not to remove it or apologize for it, that accuses people who work for us and the RCMP members of stealing,” Krog said. “It is not decisive for me, but it does indicate, if I may phrase it this way, a certain lack of sensitivity and maturity.”

Krog added he was prepared to support the motion put forth to prepare a report to potentially support Risebridge, but how he will vote on the report’s recommendations are “an entirely different matter.”

The Mayor said he was not moved by Risebridge’s argument of, in his words, “we’ve been doing some good work now give us some money very quickly please,” but acknowledged a growing crisis in the City.

Council, through Krog, pointed out the work done by the health and housing task force since 2019 which involved identifying local organizations who have proposed ways of dealing with these issues.

Johnson was less than impressed with Krog’s criticism, suggesting Risebridge asked anyone who will listen for help.

“The fact the City’s answer is that we should a) apologize for publicly calling them out for bylaw stealing their things, and b) we should be open to more meetings and more reports.”

She said these promises of more conversations are not helpful when the crisis on the streets is happening right now.

“If it was ‘hey, there’s $30,000 on the line and we’ll make a decision once we get a little more information and be able to approve it’, fine, but that’s not what was on the table,” Johnson said.

Council directed their staff to prepare a report regarding the Warmreach’s request for supportive funding to help the shelter make it through the rest of winter.

The report is due back before Council at their Feb. 7 meeting.

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—with files from Ian Holmes

Jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow