Seven shelters in the Oceanside region will open their doors for those experiencing homelessness this winter. (Island Crisis Care Society)

By Spencer Sterritt

unique solution

Unique cold weather shelters open in Oceanside region to replace nixed permanent shelter

Dec 18, 2019 | 9:21 AM

NANAIMO — Seven churches throughout the Oceanside area have banded together to provide shelter beds for those in need.

They will host an eight bed shelter on a rotating basis starting Thursday, Dec. 19.

The shelters will be operated by the Oceanside Homelessness Ecumenical Advocacy Response Team Society, who came together to find a solution to Parksville’s shelter crisis.

They are funded by BC Housing through the Society of Organized Services (SOS).

SOS executive director Susanna Newton told NanaimoNewsNOW it’s unfortunate the plan came together one-and-a-half months after other cold weather shelters opened, but they’re excited to provide a warm space for those in need.

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“We looked at lots of different options and came across all kinds of barriers we just couldn’t remove.”

Plans for a permanent cold weather shelter in Parksville already hit an immovable barrier earlier in the year.

Parksville councillors spent nearly half-a-million dollars repaying a grant from the regional district. A condition of the grant was including space in the facility for a cold weather shelter.

Space was already set aside inside the 52-unit provincially-funded supportive housing facility in Parksville which opened last summer.

The plan to use churches instead of the supportive housing facility took roughly seven months to come together.

When asked what took so long, a statement from BC Housing said “There was a great deal of planning required to find a solution for shelter services in Oceanside…it required coordinated efforts to determine which churches had space available on select nights.”

St. Anne’s church is one of the seven opening it’s doors. Pews were already being turned into beds each night during what was considered a “pray and stay” starting earlier in December.

The location of the shelter will rotate between seven churches each night of the week until the end of February, at which point the Mt. Arrowsmith Salvation Army Church will be the permanent location for the month of March.

Those seeking a shelter bed will meet at the Mt. Arrowsmith Salvation Army each night at 5 p.m. to be taken to the available church that night.

It’s anticipated all eight beds will be occupied every night during the cold, wet winter season.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit