EXTREME WEATHER SHELTER BEDS AVAILABLE IN VERNON

 VICTORIA – Up to 20 additional shelter spaces will be available in Vernon when extreme weather alerts are activated this winter, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Minister Responsible for Housing Rich Coleman announced today.

“These extra spaces are available primarily through the efforts of community groups and dedicated people who care deeply about their communities,” said Coleman. “The Province provides the funding to have these spaces available when our weather is at its worst. Community volunteers ensure homeless people have a warm, safe place to stay.”

Provincewide, more than 1,400 spaces have been identified in 34 communities under the Extreme Weather Response Program, with the ability to reach homeless people in 53 communities.

When an alert is issued for Vernon, space can be made available at the following location:

·         Gateway Shelter: 2800 – 33^rd St., 20 spaces

Communities decide what conditions warrant an Extreme Weather Alert, when to activate a location and how many spaces to make available on a given night, depending on the capacity of existing shelters and the estimated need. The Province will provide community-based services with approximately $800,000 this year to fund the extreme weather spaces.

The extreme weather spaces supplement more than 1,570 permanent, year-round beds in the province funded through the Emergency Shelter Program (ESP). Vernon has 49 year-round shelter beds.