As winter weather brings colder temperatures to Metro Vancouver, the city’s most vulnerable face considerable risk.
The UGM’s Jeremy Hunka says the pandemic has further exacerbated the plight of the city’s homeless population. The Union Gospel Mission has also adapted during the pandemic, in order to keep its patrons and staff safe.
Protocols such as more spacing to maintain physical distancing, window meal service, and making PPE readily available have all been implemented during COVID-19.
In 2020, Vancouver homeless count was over 3,000, but that number is expected to rise as a result of the coronavirus and its toll on the poverty-stricken.
With hundreds of people in the city facing homelessness, Hunka says more needs to be done in the region.