Photo: Pixabay
“Being outside in their wet clothes all day and then sometimes we don’t have an item to exchange that with for them, it’s really sad to see some nights.”
Bone-chilling temperatures have reached Penticton and the director of the Emergency Weather Response (EWR) shelter is hoping to see more donations come in for those seeking warmth.
Desiree Surowski, executive director of Penticton Area Overdose Prevention Society (P+OPS), runs the outreach group dedicated to helping provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness.
Since temperatures have dropped, P+OPS and 100 More Homes Penticton have been working in partnership with a network of local community agencies to provide the EWR shelter to unhoused members of the community during periods of extreme cold.
“The threshold [for the shelter to open overnight] is ‘feels like minus 5 C overnight,’ with some caveats for wind, rain and snow,” she said.
“We’ve been operating quite consistently and we probably will have almost a two-week run … We will be allowing our residents that stay the night with us to stay during the day over this cold snap.”
Last year, the shelter was briefly set up at a St. Saviour’s Anglican Church and Seventh Day Adventist church.
“Obviously we understand those weren’t ideal locations with the proximity to schools and dance studios. It was a last resort last year,” Surowski said.
This year, the team was able to secure a building on Government Street and is working collaboratively with the school district and the bylaw department to make sure that they have as little impact in that neighbourhood as possible.
“So far, I haven’t had a lot of negative feedback. But obviously, any shelter will impact any neighbourhood it’s in and so if anyone ever does have any concerns or questions about the shelter operations, they can also reach out to [us],” Surowski added.
“My door is always open to have conversations with community members, with whatever concerns or questions they may have about our services.”
Since the shelter opened, Surowski said they have had more people come in than expected, and are hoping to get more winter clothing and shoes donations.
“It’s so nice to be able when people enter the building to be able to have dry clothes for them to change into so the clothing and shoes situation is pretty dire.”
P+OPS is in need of anything to do with winter clothing, along with boots, hand warmers and survival equipment.
“When it’s not minus 10 C [or below] during the day, they do have to leave for the day. So tarps and other survival equipment is always really nice to be able to hand out,” Surowski added.
“We serve a continental breakfast in the morning and a hot meal at night. So if anyone wants to support us with coffee, hot chocolate and warm drinks, that’s always needed.”
If anyone has items to donate or questions, reach out to P+OPS through their Facebook page here, email [email protected] or leave a message at 778-559-2603 to arrange pickup/drop-off.
For those in need of a warm place to stay during the day, the Penticton Indian Band is also offering a warming station at the PIB Community Hall from 10 a.m. to 9 p..m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They will have toques, socks and gloves available for those in need, as well as supplying beverages and snacks.
Questions or donations are directed to call 250-462-2514.
Other warm public places in Penticton are:
- South Okanagan Events Centre Walking Track at 855 Eckhardt Avenue, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday
- Penticton Community Centre at 325 Power Street, Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Penticton Public Library at 785 Main Street, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
- Penticton Seniors’ Drop-in Centre at 2965 Main Street, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- City Hall at 171 Main Street, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday
Photo: P+OPS
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