A temporary homeless shelter could be coming back to Grace Church in Port Coquitlam but would only operate for a month under strict conditions, according to a city staff report.
If PoCo council approves the initiative, the shelter would open in January in a method similar to the operation of the former cold/wet weather mat program, which ran in the Tri-Cities between 2007 and 2012.
"The experience under the old model with the city was very good," said Coun. Brad West, chair of the city's smart growth committee. "We didn't hear any issues. It was only when we moved away from the bus-in model that the issues arose."
Last winter, Grace Church hosted the shelter for the entire winter season, with shelter users getting to and from the Kingsway Avenue facility on their own.
The church was expected to resume its program again this year but PoCo council did not grant the temporary use permit following a contentious public meeting in the summer. Many residents of the area complained that the shelter attracted crime and loitering, assertions that shelter operators the Hope for Freedom Society have said are untrue.
In the end, PoCo council decided not to allow the bridge shelter to continue operating this winter, leaving the society scrambling for alternatives.
Hope for Freedom has since reverted back to the cold/wet weather mat program formula, which rotates the shelter to a different church each month. Shelter clients are also bused to the facility from various pickup points around the city.
PoCo council will hold a public meeting on the Grace Church temporary use permit on Nov. 25. The initiative would also require a good neighbour agreement between residents and the shelter operators.
On Friday, Cavalry Baptist Church in Coquitlam launched the program for the 2013/'14 season and the shelter will move to Coquitlam Alliance Church in December. Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship will host the program in February after Coquitlam council approved its temporary use permit Monday while St. Andrew's Church in Port Moody is expected to finish off the season in March. That has left January open for a church in Port Coquitlam.
Hope for Freedom has tried to keep a shelter program in place during the winter months until a permanent facility is built at 3030 Gordon Ave. in Coquitlam. That facility is not expected to open until at least 2015, meaning more temporary solutions will be required next year.
