The City of Vancouver has unveiled plans to help homeless residents amid the COVID-19 crisis. Mayor Kennedy Stewart said on Thursday that two downtown community centres — Coal Harbour and Roundhouse (in Yaletown) — will be used to house the homeless on a referral basis.
Facilities will be staffed by BC Housing, and Vancouver Coastal Health will provide health guidance. The city has secured hundreds of hotel rooms to for homeless people to live in, all in a bid to slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus.
The city is also working to secure the safety of people living in single-room occupancy hotels, known as SROs, to improve safety and hygiene.