Risebridge, located at 520 Prideaux St. in Nanaimo, will be the site of a warming centre this winter after Nanaimo City Council approved funding in a special Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 1. (Risebridge Facebook page)

By Jordan Davidson

warm up and dry off

Nanaimo warming centre funded as City seeks more cold weather spaces

Nov 2, 2023 | 5:33 AM

NANAIMO — At least one warming centre service will be regularly available locally this winter, but the City says more are needed.

During a special meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 1, councillors voted unanimously to enter into a service agreement with Nanaimo-based non-profit Risebridge to provide warming shelter services seven days a week, from approximately Nov. 14 until March 31, 2024.

While other organizations did offer space for extreme weather events such as extreme cold snaps or snowfalls, Risebridge was the only one willing to provide a regular warming centre throughout the colder months.

Up to $230,000 in City funding was approved, with money coming from a surplus initially set aside for asset management and retirement.

City staff had initially estimated and budgeted $2.3 million for asset retirement, however, audited statements were closer to $1.8 million.

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The meeting followed a lengthy discussion on this topic during an Oct. 23 meeting about the lack of shelter beds and funding in Nanaimo.

Coun. Ben Geselbracht said he thinks the responsibility of providing shelter for unhoused individuals is being unfairly pushed onto local groups, and it should be a coordinated effort from all levels of government.

“That need to be warm, use bathroom facilities, gets pushed on to private businesses in the downtown area causing further frustrations and perpetuates an already a hard situation for folks living on the streets.”

Provincial funding through B.C. Housing is available in the case of extreme weather events, but as coun. Janice Perrino pointed out, those conditions can be hard to predict, especially for unhoused people.

“This is the part that gets me. ‘We’re (provincial government) only going to help out in the extreme’…well no one living on the streets are going to know if this day is more extreme than the other…it makes no sense. This is a far better option.”

A follow-up motion was proposed by coun. Tyler Brown to forward correspondence outlining the needs of the unsheltered population in Nanaimo as well as the need for provincial funding, to Premier David Eby.

The motion was also approved unanimously.

Councillors also approved a call for expressions of interest to any groups able to run additional warming centre spaces.

If other sites are found, additional funds could be allocated.

According to the 2023 Nanaimo Point in Time Count, roughly 500 people were unhoused, representing a 20 per cent increase compared to the 2020 count. However, these figures are likely undercounted, with Community Safety Officers estimating the number is closer to 800-1000.

The amendment was raised following a discussion about the number of unhoused individuals on the streets far outnumbering Risebridge’s capacity limit.

Meanwhile, in Oceanside, their Task Force on Homelessness (OTFH) wrote a pair of letters to the City of Parksville mayor and councillors this week about their lack of shelter, especially during the colder winter months.

In the letters, they say BC Housing has agreed to provide funding for a 12-hour shelter from Nov. 1 until March 31, but says the funds cannot be utilized if there are no buildings available.

According to the 2022 PiT Count, there were 103 individuals experiencing homelessness in the Oceanside area of various ages, the vast majority of which have lived in the area for more than a year (94 per cent), and 82 per cent reported two or more health concerns.

Risebridge opened a warming centre out of the Parksville Community Centre which operated for 102 days, providing shelter for around 25 regulars every night.

Over 15,000 shelter and warming centre spaces were used in Nanaimo last winter.

A full list of day-use spaces, emergency shelters and emergency food/shower services is available on the City of Nanaimo’s website.

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