Demand for housing outstrips supply, says hostel manager
By Josh Tng
VANCOUVER

A frigid winter season is sending Vancouver’s homeless population to nearby shelters for refuge.

“This year has been much colder compared to recent winters,” said Frances Cabahug, a worker at the Catholic Charities Men’s Hostel. The hostel provides short-term refuge from the freezing night for homeless men, and the sub-zero temperatures have caused the shelter to open Extreme Weather Response (EWR) beds to support the influx of homeless.

“[This year] Catholic Charities Men’s Hostel has increased our EWR capacity from 20 beds to 24,” Cabahug said. “Those four extra beds make a difference, especially because we don’t want to turn anyone away in these wintry conditions.”

B.C. Housing and the Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy send alerts to the various shelters to warn them of approaching harsher-than-normal weather, such as rain, strong wind, or the recent freezing temperatures the Lower Mainland is currently experiencing.

“The EWR has been open since November, but our beds really started to get full once December arrived,” said Cabahug. “We’ve opened (the EWR beds) on 28 out of 31 days in December, and in December alone, we’ve filled those beds 577 times.”

The Men’s Hostel has 102 beds available all year-round, but even with the additional 24 during winter months, there is still not enough shelter available for the homeless. “I believe there are not only not enough shelter beds, but more importantly, there is not enough housing,” said Scott Small, the Men’s Hostel manager. “In the city, there are over 800 (emergency) beds, but this number has not grown in a decade.” Despite the building of new social housing, “the new supply does not meet the demand.”

Higher rent, low-income displacement, and the increasing loss of low-end market housing have also caused difficulties in obtaining property for shelters, Small said. “Slum lords can charge way more for property,” often opting for richer clients and leaving emergency shelters in the dust.

Boosting the number of emergency beds and an increased effort from the provincial government to open more winter refuge centres is a step in the right direction, noted Small. “I would love to see our parish churches do the same and offer our gyms, parish halls, and sanctuaries to welcome the poor, not just during the cold, but all year long as Christ himself would do.”

The Men’s Hostel is looking for volunteers or donations of warm clothing. For more information, call 604-443-3292 or visit rcav.org/mens-hostel.