The City of Burnaby is making changes to its warming centres to make room for social distancing as part of the city’s efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The Kensington warming centre closed Thursday morning, and the Swangard warming centre closed Friday morning, according to a city news release. To replace them, the city opened up Burnaby Lake Arena (3677 Kensington Ave.) Thursday evening. The Beresford warming centre is remaining open until further notice, the city said.
The new space, according to the city, is to provide more room for patrons to allow social distancing in the warming centres.
The city is also extending the timeline of the shelters, which were supposed to be closing at the end of March.
The arena will be operating daily from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., offering shelter to those facing homelessness in the city. The city said it won’t be keeping the warming centres open during the day, as the facilities are used for other purposes during the daytime.
Patrons using the Kensington and Swangard warming centres have been told of the changes, according to the city, which said it will be placing staff on site the day after each closure to direct people to the new sites.
Public agencies who work with the homeless community have also been told of the changes, the city said, and those agencies will direct anyone needing shelter to the new warming centres.
The warming centres provide overnight shelter during winter months, when the weather becomes dangerous for people experiencing homelessness. They include sleeping mats, tables, chairs, hot drinks and snacks, along with a place for pets to stay overnight.
“The warming centres provide much-needed support for Burnaby’s most vulnerable citizens,” reads a city news release.
The warming centres also have staff that can direct patrons to agencies that can help with accessing housing and other services.
Last year, the warming centres provided shelter for more than 2,500 visitors, according to the city.
For more information about warming centres, call the city hall information desk at 604-294-7944.
