Homelessness advocacy organizations battle the heat with community spirits

Community organizations are asking for more help from the city in supporting the most vulnerable population in Vancouver as the summer heat approaches.

Nick Wells, the spokesperson for the Union Gospel Mission (UGM), says he wants to see the city prioritize the effects of climate change on its residents.

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The charitable organization UGM hands out beverages during outreach walks for people to stay hydrated and opens a drop-in space for longer hours to escape the heat.

“It’s really hard for people who are living unsheltered and dealing with other kinds of concurrent health conditions to stay cool when temperatures rise,” said Wells.

Wells worries that the unsheltered seniors, who make up 18 per cent of the current homeless population in Vancouver, might be more susceptible to the sudden shift in temperatures.

He advises seniors to go to cooling shelters or libraries to stay cool amid the rising temperatures.

Seniors caught in the heatwave

In a previous interview with 1130 NewsRadio, Wells said the rise in seniors experiencing homelessness was reflected in UGM shelters.

“Since the pandemic, we have really seen a spike in the number of seniors turning to our shelter services, and right now it’s about 30 to 33 per cent,” he explained.

Wells said he wanted the City of Vancouver to prioritize seven recommendations that UGM submitted to help the population face climate change and extreme weather.

He explained that the recommendations included providing access to water, prioritizing accessible emergency spaces and portable solutions, such as ‘cool kits.’

Recently, the City of Vancouver discontinued handing out its official cool kits that were launched in 2022. The kits, which include wet towels, a water bottle, a thermometer and more, were first distributed to community organizations, who would then supply them to those in need.

“It’s unfortunate that the city decided to end this funding, but we’re going to continue to make sure that we’re supporting people who are in shelter or just our community members,” said Wells.

1130 NewsRadio reached out to City of Vancouver for comments.

Bring back the cool kits

OneCity Vancouver Coun. Lucy Maloney, who is planning on bringing back the cool kits, says it is a “shame” that the City of Vancouver cancelled the program, given the positive feedback about its effectiveness from charitable organizations.

“It’s a real shame that at every level of government seems to be losing the sense of urgency that we had after the tragic heat dome to prevent health effects of high temperatures on our most vulnerable residents,” said Maloney, referring to the 2021 heatwave that took the lives of 619 people in B.C.

Maloney’s new motion, which will be submitted to city council on Wednesday, proposes approving sustained funding for the cool kits for people who can’t reach community cooling spaces.

The OneCity councillor says the motion also includes approving funding for cooling centres and extending their operating hours beyond declared extreme heat events.

Despite the efforts of the charitable organizations that try to support the population, Maloney says it is the “city’s role to contribute to the support of the most vulnerable residents in Vancouver.”

“We just need to be thinking outside the box and cooperating with other levels of government and other agencies, as well as pulling our own weight in protecting our most vulnerable residents.”

More access to cooling down

While keeping an eye on the community ahead of the summer, Wells also says the scope of support should be expansive.

He says having accessible ways to cool down is vital, not just for the community that UGM serves in the Downtown Eastside, but also in communities across Metro Vancouver, Victoria, and Langley.

“People experiencing homelessness don’t have easy access to things that most of us rely on and take for granted in their home when it’s extremely hot outside,” Wells said.

“That can be as simple as a tap for drinking water to cool off, or fans and air conditioning, as well as suitable clothing.”

— With files from Angelina Ravelli and Raynee Novak