Hundreds were able to take shelter in Burnaby during the latest heat wave in Metro Vancouver thanks to a local organization.
A report prepared by the Society to End Homelessness in Burnaby says that from July 30 to Aug. 4, 2021, a total of 320 visits were recorded at its open-air pop-up cooling centre.
Open from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., most people came between 1:30 and 5 p.m., with core hours of 2 to 4:30 p.m. Numbers were low between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The centres, located under trees and canopies at the southeast corner of Burnaby Civic Square, provided services that included free water, juices, clothing, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and harm reduction supplies.
The cooling site also had a misting station, WiFi, cooling cloths and could also loan out individual cooling fans/misters.
Resources were also offered to help direct people to COVID-19 clinics, housing and service agencies.
The society collected data daily including numbers served, largest age groups, harm reduction services and health interventions.
A breakdown of visitors per day is as follows:
- Friday, July 30, 2021: 31
- Saturday, July 31, 2021: 32
- Sunday, August 1, 2021: 33
- Monday, August 2, 2021: 76
- Tuesday, August 3, 2021: 74
- Wednesday, August 4, 2021: 62
- Six-day total: 308
Temperatures are forecasted to reach mid 30s by Thursday of this week.
