‘Devastating’: Non-profit says timelines won’t allow Parksville shelter
Published 10:00 am Tuesday, September 29, 2026
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
|
Plans for a temporary 10-mat seasonal shelter for unhoused people in Parksville have been shelved due to a lack of time to secure funding, according to DayHomes Society.
Shayla Day, CEO of DayHomes, said BC Housing cannot confirm funding without municipal approvals and an opening date set. Day said a late opening date raised concerns about the cost per mat, if the shelter was only open for a short part of the season.
“It brings me devastating sadness to say that the timelines aren’t going to line up in time for us to secure the BC Housing funding and open the doors this winter,” Day said in an email.
City council members had signalled an openness to the idea of hosting the shelter an empty lot on Pioneer Crescent, after a presentation by Day at a council meeting in early September.
Had it gone forward, the pilot project would have seen pre-booked guests stay for a seasonal term of up to seven months.
Day added a recent public information session at Shelly Hall did not help the situation and brought “a level of hostility I wasn’t prepared for.”
People expressed fears about theft, trespassing and open drug use during the two-hour the session, Day said.
“I understand why residents want their neighbourhood to be safe. What was painful was hearing those fears applied to everyone who needs shelter,” she added. “There are also seniors, people living in vehicles, people living in poverty and people trying to work or recover who need somewhere indoors.”
Day described a “chicken and egg” problem where the society needs a site to advance an application and secure funding, with both waiting on the other.
“With the elections happening as well, there are just too many pieces that won’t come together in time,” she said. “We have spent months trying to establish 10 indoor spaces, and we are still asking whether Oceanside will get behind them. I do not want this to become a shelter-versus-no-shelter election. People sleeping outside need a response regardless of who wins.”
The shelter would have involved modular units which can be moved to and from the site and do not require a sewer hook-up, with a generator used for electricity.
The pilot project also called for an operational plan, safety and security measures, a Good Neighbour Agreement and community engagement.
DayHomes Society confirmed the organization will continue to advocate for a winter shelter in the region.