The average number of homeless people at the Tri-Cities' temporary shelters this past winter more than doubled from the previous year, according to the Hope for Freedom Society.
During the 2013/'14 season, an average of 14 people per night took advantage of the shelter, which operates from the beginning of October to the end of March. But in the recently completed 2014/'15 season, that number more than doubled to 29 people a night.
Rob Thiessen, director of Hope for Freedom, said the dramatic increase is likely the result of homeless people coming from other parts of the Lower Mainland, where homelessness is on the rise.
"They just don't seem to have any places to go," he told The Tri-City News. "All the shelters are full. We were getting a lot more people from outside our region than we have in the past."
The increase can also be attributed to the fact that the emergency shelter in Maple Ridge closed after not receiving funding this year, he added. As a result, the homeless population in the Tri-Cities has increased, moving up from around 40 people to closer to 60.
Now that the shelter program is done for the season, Theissen said his organization is monitoring the situation to see whether the additional people will stay in the area or move back to other parts of the Lower Mainland.
MONEY NEED FOR MAT PROGRAM, TOO
"Even though the Tri-Cities has done an exceptional job at lowering homelessness in our region, we are still part of Metro Vancouver and Metro Vancouver as a whole still has a fairly significant homeless issue," he said.
Hope for Freedom has operated a mat program, which rotates between various churches in all three cities for six months each year, since 2007. Volunteers run the shelters, offering the homeless a place to sleep and three meals a day.
The program often serves as a gateway to more stable housing and has whittled down the homeless numbers from a high of 200 over eight years ago to the current population of about 60.
With the increase in shelter visits this year, however, Thiessen said outreach workers were busy again. Between Oct. 1 and March 31, 74 homeless people were moved into permanent housing or long-term recovery, a record for the shelter program.
"It has been our best year," he said. "We have been holding our own."
ONE MORE SEASON
With the shelter season wrapping up, Thiessen's attention has now turned to getting funding to operate the program for three months later this year.
Because construction on a permanent homeless shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave. in Coquitlam is not expected to be completed until the end of December, he said, funding is needed to operate the mat program between October and the beginning of January.
He noted that three churches have already offered their space and a large roster of volunteers is also keen to participate.
But Thiessen said the federal government, which has funded the shelter in the past, has indicated it won't provide any money for the program.
He said he hopes BC Housing will bridge the gap until construction of the Gordon Avenue facility is completed.
Sean Spear, the associate director for RainCity Housing, which has contracted with BC Housing to operate 3030 Gordon, said his organization is focusing on getting the permanent shelter built and open on time.
He said RainCity and Hope for Freedom have been working collaboratively to bridge the gab between the start of the cold/rainy season and the opening of the shelter.
"The plan would be to have their service run for that amount of time," he said. "We are working on that plan together."
Spear noted that construction on the shelter has gone fairly smoothly so far. After the concrete foundation was poured, crews have quickly put up the wood framing for the structure.
When it is completed, the $13-million facility will provide 30 emergency shelter rooms, 30 units of transitional housing and 30 shelter beds in dormitory rooms. Meals, counselling, life skills development, and community health and wellness services will also be provided on site.
@GMcKennaTC
