BC Gov News
More shelter spaces are available this winter than previous seasons, providing people experiencing homelessness in British Columbia with life-saving access to additional warm, safe indoor spaces as colder weather arrives.
The Province, through BC Housing, is funding 6,486 shelter spaces in 58 communities throughout B.C. this winter. These include permanent, temporary and extreme-weather response (EWR) shelters, as well as Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) shelter spaces:
- Permanent shelters: These shelters are open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year regardless of the weather and provide services and meals to guests. There are 4,158 permanent shelter spaces operating throughout B.C.
- Temporary shelters: These shelters are open every night and many shelters operate 24 hours a day and provide meals. Many temporary shelters are seasonal and will operate from Nov. 1, 2025, until March 31, 2026, or April 30, 2026, based on community or operational needs. There will be 1,154 temporary shelter spaces open throughout B.C.
- Extreme-weather response shelters: These 771 spaces open overnight when a community issues an extreme-weather alert, such as during cold temperatures, snow or heavy rain. Communities determine what weather conditions necessitate an extreme-weather alert in co-ordination with BC Housing. EWR shelters are available to be activated from Oct. 15, 2025, until April 15, 2026.
- HEARTH units: The Province is working with municipalities throughout B.C. to open new HEARTH-funded sites, which include temporary housing options as well as shelter spaces. There are 403 HEARTH shelter spaces open, almost 2.5 times more spaces than this time last year.
Additional shelter spaces are expected to open through the winter season as BC Housing works with municipalities to identify locations and finalize shelter plans.
Additionally, when extreme cold is forecast, the Province, through the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, works proactively with local governments and First Nations to provide guidance and reimbursements for opening and running emergency warming centres. These centres provide a safe place for people to warm up during cold weather and provide information about how to safely stay warm. Communities may be reimbursed for eligible costs to establish and operate warming centres, such as facility rental and incremental utility costs.
BC Housing has also implemented several changes during the past year to better support non-profit partners and community organizations as they prepare and administer their EWR plans. This includes additional funding to secure community co-ordinators and funding to help non-profit organizations with costs associated with operating EWR programs.
As of June 30, 2025, the Province has more than 93,600 homes delivered or underway, including more than 9,400 supportive housing units and more than 5,500 shelters spaces open or in development. Since 2017, overall shelter spaces and permanent shelter spaces have more than doubled. There are nearly 1,200 HEART and HEARTH units (homeless and encampment response and temporary housing solutions) delivered or underway to help address encampments.
Learn More:
For a map of all permanent, temporary and EWR shelters throughout communities in B.C., visit: https://smap.bchousing.org/
To learn more about HEARTH, visit: https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/homelessness-services/HEART-HEARTH
For the most up-to-date information about emergency warming centres opened in their areas, people are encouraged to visit their local community website, X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook.
To learn more about winter-weather emergencies, visit: https://EmergencyInfoBC.ca
For information about how to stay safe, follow @EmergencyInfoBC on X (formerly Twitter).
To learn more about cold-weather resources available for local governments and First Nations, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/local-emergency-programs/establishing-an-emergency-program/coldweather
To learn more about what the Province is doing to proactively address homelessness, visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HMA0102-001037
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HMA0089-000951
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HMA0087-000944
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HMA0077-000870
A backgrounder follows.