Homeless advocates in the Fraser Valley say lives are being put at risk by a shortage of extreme weather shelters as the region heads into a cold snap this weekend.
The City of Chilliwack told Global News on Thursday that it feels like supportive housing units are not being placed in communities in an equitable manner.
Homeless advocates said there are about 5o to 80 people in urgent need of shelter in Chilliwack each night.
The mayor said there are currently 36 cold weather beds available at two locations but admits that is less than what was available this time last year.
“We had a location in our downtown core, The United Church, which has now been demolished and it’s going to be redeveloped, but you know, we’re doing what we can do with what we’ve got,” Mayor Ken Popove said.
Jennifer Kennedy, outreach manager for Inclusion Chilliwack Society, told Global News that they are asking for help to keep people in their community safe.
“When it goes below zero, folks are going to suffer health consequences from these very, very cold temperatures that they are predicting next week,” she said.
Temperatures are expected to range from lows of -2 C to highs of 4 C over the weekend but could feel colder due to the wind chill.