Salvation Army Shelter in Victoria Expands Capacity During Extreme Weather
While Victoria, B.C., is on average the “warmest city in Canada”, these past weeks’ temperatures have not lived up to that title.
The city has experienced record-breaking low temperatures, well below the freezing mark. As a result, there is concern for people experiencing homelessness, who are not accustomed to dealing with this type of extreme cold.
During days of extreme weather, the city of Victoria triggers the Emergency Weather Response (EWR), which allows The Salvation Army to temporarily expand the capacity of its emergency shelter at the Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC), becoming an extreme weather shelter.
“During the extreme weather activations, so anything under 0 C by itself, or under 2 C with another weather implication such as snow, rain, or wind, allow us to activate the Extreme Weather Shelter,” explained Brenda Wadey, program manager at The Salvation Army Victoria ARC.
“Over the last few days, it has been significantly higher because we want to keep people warm and safe during the extreme weather.”
The emergency shelter at ARC regularly offers 21 emergency shelter beds for men. During an EWR, 30 additional mats are placed in the chapel and dining room for vulnerable individuals and families.
The Extreme Weather Shelter is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Clients who access the shelter are registered and offered a hot meal and a place to have a good night’s sleep. Due to the low temperatures, the shelter has had a lot of demand.
“Over the last few days, it has been significantly higher because we want to keep people warm and safe during the extreme weather. We had 41 clients on our largest night,” Brenda added.
“Our staff reported that clients were saying that they were really grateful. People feel welcome here.”
The high demand brings logistical challenges for the staff at the shelter. Thankfully they have been able to deal with it so far. However, it is a reminder that they could use whatever support from the community that they can get.
“We are constantly in need of things like bedding. I also think that just pretty much any kind of donation would be really helpful to the work that we are doing here,” Brenda said.
While there is hope the temperatures in Victoria can improve soon, the staff at The Salvation Army are prepared to assist anyone trying to escape the cold in the meantime.
“Our staff reported that clients were saying that they were really grateful, and they also liked our shelter because it is calm, and relaxed. People feel welcome here,” Brenda said.
By Juan Romero
