Neha Chollangi
Times-Chronicle
The Seventh Day Adventist Church is opening its doors in Oliver and Osoyoos as an extreme cold weather shelter to help people experiencing homelessness as the arctic cold temperatures that have hit the South Okanagan.
The temperature is predicted to dip down to –16°C tonight and as low as -21°C on Thursday, which will be the coldest conditions seen this winter.
Over the weekend, Church Elder Greg Thorpe looked at the extreme cold weather warning for the coming week, along with the ongoing talks about a shelter needed in Oliver, and thought that this is something he could help out with. The church already has an active program, making quilts and other things that go into shelter, so they decided to open the space up too for those that might need it.
“We’re pleased to be able to offer this and we feel as a church community, this is something we can do. We don’t have the capacity to do this long term, but we certainly have the capacity to do this for this emergency cold period. This is basically a short-term shelter, something that we could do here for a week or so until cold weather goes away.” said Thorpe.
The church will open its doors immediately in both Oliver and Osoyoos. Although they do not have the capacity and resources for beds or cots, the church will provide hot drinks and cookies, and allow people to stay inside overnight in a warm space. Volunteer church members will be on hand to assist. The church will not be open for worship services during this time period.
Thorpe explains that both churches in Osoyoos and Oliver are safe to have about 10 to 12 people in each, while following the provincial COVID-19 safety guidelines. However, he adds “if more than 12 people show up, we will try and find space for somebody that’s cold. One way or another, we’re going to try and get them out of the cold.”
The church locations are 748 Similkameen Ave. in Oliver; and 10109 62nd Ave. in Osoyoos.
