Beban social centre warming space to open for one more night

STATEMENT - Distributed December 22, 2022 2:15 PM

The City of Nanaimo established a warming centre at the Beban social centre yesterday, which will open for one more day, tonight from 6 pm to 8 am.

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.

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 40 to 50 people at one 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 has 34 beds open 8 pm to 7:30 am.

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