Extreme weather beds provide respite from cold at North Shore Neighbourhood House

Mats offered a warm place to sleep over 40 times over several nights of bone-chilling cold at the North Shore’s extreme weather shelter this week.

The extreme weather program provided sleeping mats for up to 12 people a night at North Shore Neighbourhood House this week for overnight stays from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The provincially funded program operates whenever cold, wet or other extreme weather situations present dangers to the health of homeless people who would otherwise sleep outside.

Overnight temperatures dropped below freezing on about five nights this week, plunging down to -5℃ overnight on a couple of occasions.

Additional emergency sleeping mats are also made available at the permanent North Shore Shelter and Housing Centre, on Second Street near Bewicke Avenue, when needed.

The extreme weather program also provides snacks, warm drinks, warm clothing, socks and gloves to people who use the program, along with showers and use of laundry facilities.

Outreach workers from the shelter have been going out during the day and evening to let those who may be camped out know about the emergency cold weather program.

The Lookout Housing and Health Society, which runs the shelter, also operates an expanded outreach program, including a mobile outreach van, outside of the extreme weather program, to attempt to connect with people experiencing homelessness and connect them to services.

The current extreme weather program is expected to wrap up early next week, when temperatures are forecast to rise.