It's not even summer yet; nevertheless, Captains Glynden and Diane Cross, pastors with the Salvation Army, are already looking for a building for next fall's emergency weather shelter.
Tuesday was the last day of operation for the shelter that's been housed in the old RCMP building in Sechelt since November. After last year's struggle to find a building and open an emergency shelter, the Crosses say they want to start now and hope to have everything in place and ready to run as soon as the weather turns cold.
"We need the Sunshine Coast to find a location for next year," said Glynden. He said ideally, the building would be one, open level with a bathroom, a shower, a kitchen and space for an office. Glynden and Diane said for staffing, safety and operational reasons, everything needs to be on one level, which is one reason the old RCMP station was ideal. Also, because they have both women and men using the shelter, they need one big room that can be partitioned off, or two smaller, but adjacent and open rooms where men and women can sleep.
Diane said wherever the building is, it needs to be on the main bus route so it's accessible. Operating through the Salvation Army, Diane said she and Glynden would like to have a permanent space so there isn't the annual scramble to find something. Also, having something permanent helps with continuity, staffing, volunteers and for those using the shelter.
The Crosses say this past year the Salvation Army was able to come together with the District of Sechelt and BC Housing to make sure the people most in need during the winter had a place to go to.
During a four-month period, the shelter was used 175 times. She and Glynden count the number of times the facility is used rather than the number of people using it per week or per month because that can be misleading, she said.
People use the shelter for a variety of reasons, Glynden said: some people have mental health issues, others are in the process of going into a supported treatment centre, while others are trying to scrape up enough money to rent a room instead of being homeless or in a shelter.
Glynden said the shelter is very much about helping people in immediate need - not for long-term solutions or support. He sees it as a transitional support for people working on getting something more stable.
Diane and Glynden say the community was very generous with donations of food, clothing, bedding and other items and with cash donations - so generous, in fact, that right now they do not need supplies, although monetary donations are always needed and welcomed.
One of the challenges they had operating the shelter for their first time this year was staffing. They hope to have enough staff (mostly volunteers) trained, ready and on-call as soon as the shelter opens next fall. Glynden said shelter volunteers need to be on-call at a moment's notice because they never know when the shelter will be open. Volunteers need to be at least 19 and be firm yet compassionate, good dealing with very diverse personalities, be non-judgmental, have good communication skills and have a good sense of humour. An added bonus is if a volunteer has some work or volunteer experience in mental health and addictions. Volunteers also must pass a criminal records check.
Anyone interested in volunteering or finding out more about the shelter can call 604-886-3680.
