It’s back to the drawing board in efforts to find a location for a warming station for the homeless in the region.
Signy Madden, executive director of the United Way Central and Northern Vancouver Island, said the unsuccessful proposal to open a temporary daytime warming station for the homeless at the field house in McAdam Park was just one option, and now others will have to be considered.
“The field houses were used for this purpose before and has showers, hot water and heat source,” Madden said.
“But it’s owned by the City of Duncan and they decided against it. It’s a big challenge to find a location for this facility that is acceptable, available, and has the required amenities.”
The City of Duncan turned down the request from the United Way and the Cowichan Coalition to Address Homelessness and Affordable Housing to allow the warming centre in McAdam Park at a council meeting last month.
The city cited a number of reasons for its refusal, including that the field house doesn’t have hot water and funding for the warming station was not in place, but also acknowledged there was significant opposition to the plan from the park’s neighbours.
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Madden said homeless numbers are up and increasing in the Cowichan Valley, and most of those people are from the area.
“In response, we have to increase services like this, and look to strategies to increase both short and long-term housing in the area,” she said.
“We don’t want people dying on our streets. That’s what the coalition is all about.”
Plans are also underway that could see an extreme weather shelter for women set up in Duncan.
The United Way and the coalition are working towards placing the shelter in the former Charles Hoey school on Castle Place.
The Cowichan Valley school district has already granted use of the school, located close to McAdam Park, for the shelter and the partners have identified a lead operator capable and willing to run the facility.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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