Beban social centre opens as warming space tonight

STATEMENT - Distributed December 21, 2022 5:00 PM

The Vancouver Island Chief Medical Officer has identified that limited capacity in existing shelters in Nanaimo during the current cold weather constitutes a hazard to human health and has called upon the City to assist.

In response, the City of Nanaimo is creating a warming place at Beban social centre tonight from 6 pm to 8 am to help meet the need for shelter during the current cold weather.

The City would like to thank the staff, Boards and volunteers of existing shelters and warming centres for their efforts to help those in need.

Current shelter and warming services in Nanaimo include:

• Risebridge is open 24 hours to offer warming centre services during extreme cold. With the current staffing model they can assist 50 individuals at a time, seven days per week. (Regular warming hours are 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm).

• 7-10 Club Society (at St. Paul’s Anglican Church) operates from 7 am to 7 pm during extreme cold and can assist 30 to 40 people at one time. Open Monday to Friday. Regular warming hours are 10 am to 7 pm.

• Unitarian Shelter offers 27 overnight shelter beds and during extreme cold offers daytime warming centre services to their shelter guests only.

• Salvation Army has 35 overnight shelter beds and daytime access only for existing shelter guests.

• Samaritan Place has added five additional beds during extreme cold in addition to their existing 14 beds.

• St Peter’s Winter Shelter now has 34 beds open 8 pm to 7:30 am.

A full list of drop in and indoor meal services can be found on the Services and Supports page at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/supports.

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