120 new shelter spaces coming to Vancouver, part of plan to decamp Strathcona Park
Posted February 22, 2021 6:32 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The now-shuttered Army & Navy Department store on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is one of two sites that will soon open up as shelters in April, according to the province.
The plan to add 120 shelter spaces at two locations in the city was announced Monday, and is part of the ongoing effort to move people experiencing homelessness out of Strathcona Park. An encampment there was set up in June of 2020 after an injunction forced people off of a property next to CRAB Park on Vancouver’s waterfront in the summer. Residents who had moved to the CRAB Park area had been forced there after Oppenheimer Park was shut down by the city and Park Board.
Two locations have been chosen, one at 15-27 West Hastings Street, and another at 875 Terminal Avenue. Each will be able to accommodate 60 people, and will be staffed 24/7.
“They will provide daily healthy meals, access to laundry and showers, assistance filling out housing application forms, as well as referral to community and health services, if needed,” reads a statement from the province.
120 beds available soon for homeless campers currently occupying #Vancouver's Strathcona Park.
Two temporary shelters opening in April (at 875 Terminal Avenue and 15-27 West Hastings) will have staff 24/7.
They will also have daily access to meals, laundry and showers. @NEWS1130— Marcella Bernardo (@MBernardoNews) February 22, 2021
“We need to get people inside into dignified, supportive shelter as quickly as possible to prevent death or serious injury for those trying to stay warm outside this winter,” writes David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing.
“This is part of our response to Strathcona, but there will be more to come.”
