Union Gospel Mission concerned as temperatures continue to drop
Posted February 13, 2019 11:06 am.
Last Updated February 13, 2019 11:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Even though Metro Vancouver getting breaks from the snow now, the cold forecast continues to cause major concern for those living on the streets.
People without a place to go have been beaten down by this blast of winter, explains Jeremy Hunka with the Union Gospel Mission.
“We’ve seen people die in the cold in past years in Metro Vancouver,” Hunka adds. “We’ve seen them either die in the snow or die in the cold.”
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He says the shelter has been exceptionally busy, even at capacity the last several nights.
“We’ve been over capacity making extra spaces beyond what we normally do, just because there’s so many people coming to us.”
In the past, Hunka says he’s heard of people taking desperate measures, such as committing a crime to get arrested, in order to get out of the cold.
“The list of dangers when it gets this cold is long,” he adds. “You have the health concerns of being outside in the cold — there’s pneumonia, hypothermia, serious health complications, there’s fire.”
If you’d like to help Hunka says you can donate some cold weather gear or make a cash donation to organizations working to get others through the frigid conditions.
