North Shore homeless shelters have 45 extra spaces on standby in preparation for inclement weather.
In extreme weather conditions, 20 temporary sleeping mats will be added at the 45-bed Lookout Emergency Aid Society shelter on West Second Street at Bewicke Avenue.
Those needing shelter can also be accommodated on sleeping mats at North Shore Neighbourhood House.
On Nov. 11, North Vancouver issued its first emergency weather alert of the season, which lasts three nights.
The alert enacts the emergency plan that puts in 20 extra beds at Lookout's North Shore Housing Centre and the North Shore Neighbourhood House, when necessary.
To count as "extreme weather," temperatures must be at or below 0 degrees Celsius or 2 Celsius with
wind chill. Snow, freezing rain or three or more consecutive days of rain combined with temperatures at or below 4 Celsius also qualify as extreme weather.
"On the North Shore, due to the geography of the area, extreme conditions may mean that the alert is enacted when other Metro Vancouver areas may not be facing extreme conditions," said Davie Suttie, shelter manager, who will be monitoring the weather daily from now until March.
In an extreme weather event, Suttie said shelter staff ask the North Vancouver RC MP to assist them in locating homeless people living outside.
Lookout's extreme weather response plan was activated a few times last winter, including in February when temperatures dipped to almost -10 Celsius.
In addition to providing a warm respite from the cold, the 24-hour shelter offers its clients various services during the day.
The province, which partially funds the Lookout program, announced Nov. 5 that approximately 1,000 emergency shelter spaces across B.C. will be available this winter.
- With files from Stefania Seccia
