NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2008HSD0091-001553 Oct. 15, 2008	Ministry of Housing and Social Development
TEMPORARY HOMELESS SHELTER FOR DUNCAN

DUNCAN – The Province is providing $382,000 in one-time funding to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Cowichan Branch for 25 temporary seasonal shelter beds that are opening today to help the men and women who need it most during the cold winter months.

 

            “This temporary shelter will provide immediate help for homeless men and women in the Cowichan Valley while the permanent shelter is under construction,” said Rich Coleman, Minister of Housing and Social Development.

 

            The new temporary shelter, located at 3441 Gibbons Rd in Duncan, will open its doors today and continue to operate until March 31, 2009. Hours of operation will be from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., seven days a week.

 

            Construction is scheduled to begin later this fall on a new permanent shelter, Warmland House, which will provide 15 emergency shelter beds and 24 transitional housing units for adults with mental health issues and those at risk of homelessness. The new permanent shelter is funded under the Provincial Homelessness Initiative and has an anticipated completion of late fall 2009. 

 

            “The temporary shelter is going to provide a safe, secure environment for men and women who are living on the streets right now,” said Christina Martens, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association – Cowichan Branch. “Not only is this going to be a safe place to sleep, but we will work with existing services in the community to help people who are homeless access the support they need to stabilize their lives.”

 

            The provincial budget for the Emergency Shelter Program is approximately $50 million, more than four times as much as in 2001. There are over 1,500 emergency shelter beds in B.C. funded through the Emergency Shelter Program, compared to approximately 850 in 2001. Budget 2008 increased the amount the Province invests in affordable housing and shelters to more than $400 million a year, more than three times as much as in 2001.

 

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Contact:

Roberta Randall BC Housing 604 439-4734 604 992-3305 (cell)

Christina Martens Canadian Mental Health Association – Cowichan Branch 250 746-5521 250 701-7478 (cell)

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