'People die in weather like this': inside Vancouver's warming centres

More than 2,000 visits have been made by homeless people to Vancouver's warming centres since they opened in mid-December.

One of them was Dan Brown who spent Tuesday night in the West End Community Centre.

He normally stays at an SRO hotel in the Downtown Eastside but an issue with his room meant he had to leave for the night.

"When it gets this cold or any colder, if it wasn't for these places, people would probably die," he told On The Coast's Michelle Eliot.

• City of Vancouver closes Creekside warming centre
• Almost 2,000 visits to Vancouver warming centres as vulnerable people look to escape cold
• City of Vancouver opens 2 community centres overnight as emergency warming spaces

Brown says for the most part, he felt safe in the centre and most of Tuesday's 17 users were respectful.

"There was coffee. They had protein bars out and snacks for everybody," he said. "The only complaint I had was … there wasn't blankets and mats. There was just a floor. So if you wanted to sleep ... I didn't come prepared, really."

He also thinks the city should do a better job of getting the word out about the warming centres to people who need them.

City revisiting warming centre issue daily

Ethel Whitty, director of homelessness services with the City of Vancouver, says the weather is a "fluid situation" that needs to be revisited each day, but the warming centres will remain open for as long as the extreme weather alert is in place.

She says the warming centres could set a precedent for weather events in the future, but those discussions will happen once things get warmer.

"We've learned a lot in doing this about what is necessary," she said. "We'll have to figure out, going forward, how we can provide some sort of safety for people who would otherwise be left out in the cold."

The West End warming centre won't be used as a warming centre again, at least not for now. The city will be opening the homeless shelter at the Quality Inn on Howe Street instead, where 30 people can come and go.

Wednesday will see four warming centres open: the Quality Inn, Britania Community Centre, Carnegie Community Centre and the Evelyne Saller Centre.

The park board will hold a special public meeting  at its offices on Beach Avenue Thursday at 7 p.m. to discuss using community centres as warming centres.

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: 'People die in weather like this': the impact of Vancouver's warming centres