January 19:

Due to warmer forecasted temperatures, the warming centre at Zion Baptist Church will not be open tonight or over the weekend. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to monitor forecasted temperatures in case another cold snap arises and will continue to work collaboratively with partners to address the needs of our unsheltered citizens. Thank you to everyone that worked to care for our unsheltered community during this extended cold-weather event.

January 17:

The arctic outflow warning is still in effect in our region. The warming centre at Zion Baptist Church was unable to open due to staffing capacity last night. However, it will be open tonight, Wednesday, January 17, and tomorrow night, Thursday, January 18, from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am.

January 16:

Due to staff capacity challenges, the warming centre at Zion Baptist Church will not be open tonight, and this will likely be the case tomorrow as well. Joe’s Place is open tonight and tomorrow night with the intention of filling this gap during the continuing arctic outflow conditions. Signage will be in place at Zion Baptist Church regarding this location change.

January 15:

The arctic outflow warning is still in effect in our region. The warming centre at Zion Baptist Church has continued to be available since last Thursday and will also be open tonight. This facility provides drop-in warming for persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness who are unable to access shelter. Warming Centre availability is dependent on staff capacity, and partners continue to work closely to connect those in need of overnight warming with shelter or warming supports as appropriate to their needs.

January 11:

An arctic outflow warning is currently in place in our region, with windchill reaching between -20 and -30 C at least until the end of the week. To support our community through partnership efforts and support from the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR), there will be a staffed warming centre open overnight at Zion Baptist Church. The expected availability is from Thursday, January 11, to Saturday, January 13, from 9 pm to 7 am nightly.

This facility will be available to provide drop-in warming for persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness who are unable to access shelter. Warming Centre availability is dependent on staff capacity, and partners will work closely to connect those in need of overnight warming with shelter or warming supports as appropriate to their needs.

As of Wednesday, the City of Terrace Bylaw and Community Safety Officer teams have been patrolling, completing wellness checks, and distributing warming supplies through extended hours, and this will continue through Saturday this week. Additional partners will also be doing increased outreach, wellness checks, and providing warming resources during the cold weather. Partners are also working together to ensure unsheltered persons are aware of and able to get to community spaces that are available for warming during daytime hours.

For more information, please contact:

City of Terrace: engage@terrace.ca

'Ksan Society: ksan@ksansociety.ca