The A1 warming bus used by Turning Points Collaborative Society (photo courtesy of A1 Bus LTD. / Facebook)

By Liam Verster

Warming Bus

Turning Points offers bus to help homeless in cold weather

Nov 8, 2022 | 2:49 PM

A warming bus program is operating in Vernon to help people without homes get out of the cold weather.

Turning Points Collaborative Society has rolled out a warming bus, courtesy of A1 Bus Ltd., to pick up people off the snowy streets.

“[The bus] runs from 10 p.m. to about 6 or 7 in the morning, so when other places are closed for people to warm up, the bus does go around the city and pick people up and allows them to stay on the bus for several hours to warm up,” Randene Wejr, CEO of Turning Points, told Vernon Matters. She added the occupants are also offered warm drinks and food when on board.

The program is intended to be activated when the mercury drops to at least -10 Celsius, but Turning Points decided to get the bus out Monday night anyway.

“Even though we didn’t quite hit -10 [Monday] night, the windchill was pretty cold and we did put the bus on, and I imagine that the rest of the week it will be on because the forecast seems to be going below -10,” Wejr said.

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The bus parks outside of the Turning Points shelter before touring through Vernon to pick up individuals in need, allowing those who could not secure a spot in the 90-bed shelter, to have a warm option for the night.

“Last week we had been told in a meeting that bylaw was attending, that they had guesstimated and counted about 100 different people that were still outside with those 90 beds full,” Wejr said.

The coach-style bus provided by A1 can seat 24 people.

The bus drives around Vernon and visits the spots where homeless people are known to gather, allowing people to get onboard and warm up.

Wejr added people can call the shelter at 250-241-2217 and ask where the bus is currently located and request that it come to a specific area to pick up people in need.

This is the third year the warming bus program has run in Vernon. A1 Bus Ltd. ran the program on its own over the 2019-20 winter, and for the 2020-21 winter months, partnered with Turning Points to offer the service.

While the bus is taking some pressure off the shelter, Wejr did note they are still struggling with a labour shortage that is hindering their ability to add more beds to the shelter in Vernon.

She said Turning Points is looking at alternative ways to bring people in without exceeding the staff ratios, such as a roommate double-up program, while also advocating to the province, B.C. Housing and Interior Health for more programs that require fewer staff members.

She also noted the largest growing segments of the homeless population in Vernon are the elderly and families, saying this shows a need for more affordable housing locally.

Additionally, Turning Points is accepting donations of warm clothes, including new socks and underwear, jackets, boots and more. Those items can be dropped off at their site at 3301 24th Avenue.