Vancouver's closing shelters worry advocates

Advocates for Vancouver's homeless say the short-term future is bleak for hundreds of street people who will have no accommodation by the end of April as funding dries up for temporary shelters.

Seven temporary shelters housing more than 600 people will close between April 20 and 30.

The makeshift accommodations in unused city-owned properties were part of a joint city-provincial program intended to provide overnight shelter during the winter.

'It's not workable for us to take in another hundred people on a regular basis' —Rev. Ric Matthews of First United Church

The city says it's trying to strike a new deal with the provincial government.

"What we've said very clearly is we have capacity to provide land and buildings for this kind of interim, temporary housing," said Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang. "That's what we're putting on the table with the province."

A recent count put the number of homeless in Vancouver at about 1,760.

The closure of the temporary shelters also puts pressure on semi-permanent shelters like First United Church on East Hastings Street in Vancouver.

Rev. Ric Matthews of First United said he is anticipating problems with space, staff and security.

"It becomes an opportunity for those who have malicious intent," said Matthews. "So it's not workable for us to take in another 100 people on a regular basis."

Tent cities possible

With few alternatives, the homeless will have to resort to sleeping under bridges, in parks or doorways, or possibly small tent cities.

"We are calling on members of the public to help address the scheduled closure of the shelters by sponsoring red tents and red tarps for people who have no place to go inside, to camp outside," said John Richardson, executive director of the Pivot Legal Society.

Richardson urged members of the public Monday to donate money to redtents.org. He said $100 would buy one of the tents.

One of the people who'll be back on the street overnight by the end of the month said he would hope for more than a small tent, but he'll accept that if it's all he can get.

"You have to sleep somewhere ... but it's not the best solution, you know," said the man in his 40s who would identify himself only as Fraser.

He said he knew a better life before things went sour for him.

"I had a high-paid job, had the house in the suburbs, a split-rail fence, two cars, place in the country," Fraser said. "I used to volunteer at shelters. I never thought I'd be living in one."