'Out of the Rain' youth shelter opens in Victoria
A seasonal shelter has reopened for young people in Victoria who have nowhere to stay during the region's coldest and wettest months.
The "Out of the Rain" shelter in the Fernwood area opened on Friday and will run until April 15.
The shelter, operated by Beacon Community Services, is open for people aged 15 to 25 from 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. daily. Pets are also welcome.
"There are still far too many cold, hungry, vulnerable young people in unsafe conditions on the street," said Tricia Gueulette, CEO of Beacon Community Services, in a release Friday.
"Every year for more than 20 years, we’ve opened the Out of the Rain shelter to help keep them safe, warm, and dry," she said.
The shelter can host up to 25 people, and staff from Beacon Community Services will offer meals and can recommend community supports to youth.
This year, the organization will also be running an outreach van, donated by the B.C.-based Aragon Properties.
The van will be used for several purposes, including helping youth reach the shelter, connecting users with community resources and helping youth move their belongings if they find housing.
"We encourage these youth to hope and dream for a better life," said Jenn Mortimer, manager of homeless prevention programs at Out of the Rain.
"But that has to also be backed by practical supports," she said. "The vehicle will be a really important tool. We’re delighted that Aragon Properties is supporting us with this gift."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.