The Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness was responsible for bringing the Cold weather shelter to this community and supplemented the funding provided by BC Housing required to operate the shelter. The coordination and activation of the shelter is volunteered by the SOS.
The Salvation Army operated the shelter from 2011 to 2015 and contributed significant additional funding. During this time, the shelter was open for an average of 48 nights per winter with more than 504 individuals in total finding shelter during the worst weather.
In 2016, the Island Crisis Care Society assumed operation of the Cold weather shelter and it is now located at 170 West Hirst Ave in Parksville (Arbutus Grove Church).
In previous years, the shelter was only open under the extreme weather protocol. We were excited to announce last year it would be open nightly from November 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. The shelter had 8 beds per night and it was open from 6pm to 8am. It offered the essentials of life – a bed, bedding, meals and hygiene supplies. Also, clients had the opportunity to connect with staff about available supports offered in Oceanside community.
