Protesters advocate for emergency weather shelter in Duncan

Sarah McKenna wants the community to know that as temperatures plummet with the winter season beginning, there is still no location for an extreme weather emergency shelter in the region.

McKenna, a harm reduction worker in the community, and advocate for the homeless Sandy King led a demonstration to raise the issue at the annual Christmas Kick Off event that was hosted by the Downtown Duncan Business Improvement Association in City Square on Nov. 24.

She said she sees people on a regular basis who need not only a shelter to stay at when cold weather sets in, but blankets, jackets, tarps and other material to help keep warm when there’s no shelter to go to.

McKenna said the Warmland shelter and the Sobering and Assessment Centre in Duncan are full almost every night at this time of year, leaving many unhoused people with nowhere to go.

“We’re trying to raise awareness of the situation,” she said.

“The fact we have no emergency shelter impacts not only the homeless, but businesses as well when people light fires near them in efforts to stay warm. Not only do we not have a shelter, but there are no supports like blankets to hand out. I often see people so cold that they can hardly speak.”

McKenna said she hopes people who attended the Christmas Kick Off will notice the demonstration.

“People are freezing in our community and people just don’t see them,” she said.

“We’re hoping they’ll see them now and try to do something to help.”

After substantial opposition from many in the neighbourhood, Duncan city council decided at its meeting on Nov. 6 not to allow an extreme weather emergency shelter to be set up this winter at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Herbert Street.

After years of searching for a site, or sites, for an emergency winter shelter in the region, the church was the only facility to offer space for one.

In December, 2022, at the request of BC Housing and Lookout Health Society, council authorized an emergency winter shelter to be activated at St. Andrew’s church in advance of formal consideration of a temporary-use permit application by the city.

But a lot of the church’s neighbours were opposed to having the shelter at the site again after their experience with it last winter.

Many pointed out that they are in favour of having an emergency shelter set up in the region, but the Cairnsmore neighbourhood, with its many schools, businesses and residences, is not a good location for it.

Dianne Hinton, from the Cowichan Coalition to End Homelessness, spoke to the board of the Cowichan Valley Regional District at its meeting on Nov. 22 on the need for at least one, and hopefully more, extreme weather emergency shelters in the region.

She said everything is in place to open a shelter that would operate overnight between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. between Nov. 1 and April 30 when an extreme weather alert is issued, or when extreme weather events occur.

“We have the Lookout Health Society and its trained employees with equipment ready to do the work, and the Cowichan Green Community has meals at the ready, but we need a location, or preferably locations,” Hinton said.

Asked what would be an appropriate location for an extreme weather emergency shelter, Hinton said a location that was walkable would be ideal.

“Last year, we had the church, and it was amazing to have that, but it was not walkable and that created some issues,” she said.

“It would also be good if it was accessible, so it shouldn’t have a lot of stairs, especially if we’ve got people who are bringing their worldly belongings with them. We’d also need washrooms and a big, open space where sleeping mats can be laid out on the floor.”

Hinton stressed that the shelter(s) would only operate on nights of extreme weather and only during the winter season.

“Anything we can get would be amazing,” she said.

Aaron Stone, chair of the CVRD, told Hinton the board recognizes how difficult it is in these divisive times to put people first when many are more focused on their own needs than the needs of others.

“Maybe if we could all look to lift each other up a little bit more, all of our lives and the quality of our lives would be better,” he said.

Homelessness