“All we’re asking for here is give us 60 days, let’s see what we can do with it.” That was the message from Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe for the more than 70 people who packed the basement of the former Church on the Rock at 599 Gower Point Road Monday night to hear details of a proposed homeless shelter.
Gibsons has not had shelter space since the extreme weather shelter was moved from the Salvation Army on Gibsons Way to St. Hilda’s Church in Sechelt in 2011.
BC Housing has now come forward with an offer of funding to run a cold weather shelter, which would be open nights only, until March 31.
Although Gibsons council is supportive, the initiative is not being driven by the Town. The Sunshine Coast Homelessness Advisory Committee (SCHAC) applied for the funding and has been working with RainCity Housing, operators of the shelter in Sechelt, to try to get it up and running by the beginning of February.
Christ the King Church came forward to offer space in the former Church on the Rock, which it purchased last November.
Matt Rowan, pastor at Christ the King, told the crowd Monday that they recognized the potential of the building, which has been a church of one sort or another since the early ’60s.“One of the ways [the congregation] talked about serving the community was doing an emergency shelter,” Rowan said. For now, Christ the King plans to continue using its location on Marine Drive in the Landing for its services, and renting out the upper floor of the Gower Point building.
Cayce Laviolette, a social worker and member of SCHAC, said the ground floor hall in the building is well suited for a cold weather shelter, with office space, two bathrooms and room for about 15 beds.
Some area residents at the meeting raised questions about how the site was chosen and objections about the possible impact on the neighbourhood.
“Just about every other house has young children. It’s a very quiet, safe neighbourhood. Probably the highest percentage of young families in Gibsons live in this neighbourhood,” said one woman, who wanted to know the shelter’s policy on drug and alcohol use. Both would be banned.
Other neighbours offered unqualified support for the shelter.
“I want my children to grow up in a community where they see that if there is a need, and people in need, that they are not afraid of those individuals and they are not raised to be afraid of those individuals, and that they see their community coming together to lift those people up… I hope that’s what this neighbourhood wants to see too,” one father of two told the crowd to a round of applause.
“We can’t go on saying, ‘Put it over there, or put it over there’… There could be some issues, I’m sure we can handle them,” said another man, who was asked to speak on behalf of a neighbouring property owner who couldn’t attend.
Others in the audience told personal stories of homelessness or precarious housing situations.
“Us, as a community, need to step up and help out. They are refugees, man. They’re on the fricken street. It’s not always by choice,” offered a man who said his life was saved because he had access to a shelter in northern B.C.
At various points during the meeting, people raised their hands and called out that they were ready and willing to volunteer once the shelter was opened.
“What I heard tonight quite moved me… I knew we had a caring town,” Rowe said as the meeting wrapped up.
Gibsons councillor Silas White, who sits on SCHAC, said the committee, the church, BC Housing and RainCity would be meeting this week to work out the final details. A decision was not expected before Coast Reporter deadline.
