City announces closure of Fort St. John Warming Centre

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The city of Fort St. John has announced a potentially permanent closure of the FSJ warming centre as of June 3rd.

The city says that the centre was a part of several initiatives funded by the Strengthening Communities Grant that saw the city receive over $446K to address a few areas identified in the Energizing Our Future: The Social and Economic Framework of Fort St. John.

“In partnership with Urban Matters, the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society, Community Bridge, and other community partners planned and executed several temporary initiatives to address unsheltered homelessness in the community,” the city said in a release.

The Warming Centre provided vulnerable residents daytime access to shelter, amenities such as showers and laundry services and links to services referrals for over 20 people per day since opening its doors in January.

Despite the centre being categorized as “highly successful,” funding for the project, along with others, ends this week, with the centre closing its doors Friday at 5 p.m.

The city says that they have applied for another Strengthening Communities Grant for the 2022-2023 term, with the centre’s fate depending on the outcome of that application.

“Dependent on the outcome of that grant application, this may be a temporary closure, and project partners are hopeful that the Warming Centre can continue its programming for our vulnerable citizens from September 2022 to April 2023,” the city stated.

Other initiatives funded by the grant were the Temporary Hotel Room Shelter program, which was utilized by over 20 people and Skye’s Place second stage housing, which allowed five families to secure longer-term shelter.

The city says the  Energizing Our Future: The Social and Economic Framework of Fort St. John was “developed through extensive community engagement and recognizes that social and economic development are intimately intertwined and mutually supportive.”