Seniors make up a large proportion of unhoused people in Cranbrook, B.C., says B.C. Housing

In the midst of a provincewide housing crisis, some of Cranbrook, B.C.'s older adults are winding up on the streets.

According to B.C. Housing's 2023 Point-in-Time Homelessness Count, nearly a third of the homeless population in the East Kootenay city identifies as seniors. 

The Crown corporation says it is working to open a permanent homeless shelter in the city, and there are also plans to build a senior-specific facility to help alleviate the disproportionate amount of seniors who are unhoused. 

And as the city prepares for another winter without a permanent shelter, a cold weather space has been set up in Cranbrook's Christ Church Anglican with help from B.C. Housing and outreach organization ANKORS. 

A space for seniors

In June, B.C. Housing purchased the former Lazy Bear Lodge in Cranbrook to create 30 supportive homes for older adults and vulnerable seniors. 

The province says the space will provide support services, like meals and referrals to health and community supports, and will be operated by Community Connections Society of Southeast B.C.

Tyler Baker, director of regional development with B.C. Housing, says renovations are expected to begin next year in the spring.

"We're just finalizing the design, the procurement, working with the general contractor, and once it gets going, the renovations aren't going to be that extensive — so we expect it to be opening mid-next year," Baker told Cranbrook city council in a presentation on Monday, Dec. 9. 

The 2023 count shows that 29 per cent of Cranbrook's homeless population is aged 55 or older. 

A total of 116 people identified as homeless in Cranbrook in 2023, according to the survey — about 83 per cent more than in 2020.

But Marcel Germer, the social co-ordinator for the City of Cranbrook, previously told CBC News that the number of unhoused people in Cranbrook has likely grown since the 2023 count.

Plans for permanent shelter, transitional housing

Baker says there is a need for all sorts of housing in Cranbrook and that a separate, permanent shelter is also expected to open between spring and summer of next year. 

B.C. Housing and the City of Cranbrook have been working toward building a homeless shelter since 2021 when council first approved a rezoning application for a property at 209 16th Ave. North. The building was purchased by the province through B.C. Housing, in January of 2023. 

"We know this has been in the works for quite a long time [and] we continue to make progress," said Baker.

He said B.C. Housing is working closely with the city's building and planning departments to finalize permits for the space. He says they expect renovations to be completed in late spring 2025 and occupancy to follow.

The new 40-bed shelter will replace the current temporary shelter that opened in the former Travelodge motel during the pandemic, where many of Cranbrook's unhoused seniors are currently staying. 

According to the City of Cranbrook, the temporary shelter has 45 longer-term rooms and 17 overnight rooms. There are eight drop-in overnight rooms, which expand to 17 during the winter months. 

Nanette Drobot, B.C. Housing's regional director for B.C.'s Interior, says the goal is to eventually open more transitional housing, too, although it's not clear exactly what that will look like. 

"We don't want to have people languish in the shelter and we want to see them move into more permanent housing that gives them dignity and respect, and they pay rent," she said. 

Extreme weather shelter in place 

In the meantime, the City of Cranbrook has put plans in place to open an extreme weather shelter when needed this winter. 

The space will be located in the Anglican church, and the shelter will only be activated when the temperatures hit  –15 C or below in a 24-hour period and will only be open at night. 

The city says other warming spaces in the community include the Cranbrook Public Library and Western Financial Place.