Opening new shelter for people in Tri-Cities area

Dec. 17, 2025

Summary

• Twenty temporary shelter spaces are opening at 2601 Lougheed Hwy. in Coquitlam at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, “Place of the Great Blue Heron” (the former Riverview site), in January 2026
• These spaces will operate nightly from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. to support people experiencing homelessness in the Tri-Cities
• This shelter will operate until April 2026, providing much-needed shelter and support for people during the wet and cold winter months

People experiencing homelessness in the Tri-Cities area will soon benefit from 20 new temporary shelter spaces opening in Coquitlam in the new year.

“Helping more people experiencing homelessness come inside, with warm, safe shelter spaces, will go a long way to help the community,” said Christine Boyle, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. “We’re committed to helping vulnerable people and communities continue to make progress on homelessness, which is why we are adding these temporary shelter spaces to support people experiencing homelessness. We will continue to work on housing solutions with kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation, the City of Coquitlam and other local governments and housing partners, so our communities remain strong.”

This new temporary shelter will be located at 2601 Lougheed Hwy. at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, a place that holds cultural and spiritual significance for the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people. The shelter will operate nightly from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. to help ensure more people experiencing homelessness in encampments in the Tri-Cities area have places to stay overnight.

The addition of these shelter spaces during the winter was made possible through strong advocacy and partnership between the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation, the City of Coquitlam and the Province, through BC Housing and local MLAs Jennifer Blatherwick, Jodie Wickens and Rick Glumac.

Temporary winter shelter spaces

These spaces will be operated on a temporary basis from early January until April 2026 by Progressive Housing and Health Society, while all partners continue to work on more permanent housing solutions, such as permanent shelter spaces and supportive housing.

Temporary shelters help to minimize local encampments by supporting people who are experiencing homelessness, especially during cold and wet winter months. To help support people access these spaces, a shuttle service will be available, with stops at three locations in the Tri-Cities area.

The Province, through BC Housing, is funding nearly 6,500 shelter spaces in almost 60 communities throughout B.C. this winter season.

As of June 30, 2025, the Province has more than 93,600 homes delivered or underway, including more than 9,400 supportive housing units open or underway. This includes more than 1,400 homes open or underway in the Tri-Cities area, of which 80 are supportive homes. Additionally, there are approximately 42 shelter spaces in the Tri-Cities area.

Quick Facts:

• The Province, through BC Housing, will provide funds to renovate and operate the temporary winter shelter as part of BC Housing and the Province’s broader shelter programming.
• The total cost for this shelter and all other shelters in the province will be known at the end of the season.
• Since 2017, overall shelter spaces and permanent shelter spaces have more than doubled.
• As of Sept. 30, 2025, there are more than 1,300 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 extreme-weather response 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

A backgrounder follows.

Contacts:

Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs
Media Relations
hmamedia@gov.bc.ca
236-475-4435

BC Housing
Media Relations
Media@bchousing.org

BACKGROUNDER

What people are saying about the new shelter

Chief Ron Giesbrecht, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation (KFN) –

“KFN supports the temporary winter shelter at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə this winter to help folks get the warmth, safety and dignity they deserve. The Nation supports work toward lasting, long-term housing solutions so that everyone that needs a safe place to call home can find one.”

Richard Stewart, mayor of Coquitlam –

“This is an important step in making sure people experiencing homelessness have a warm, safe place to go during winter. Through collaboration with the Province, BC Housing and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation, we were able to secure a temporary solution at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, when winter shelter services across the Tri-Cities were at serious risk of collapse. While this shelter provides immediate relief for the coming season, we will continue to work with the Province for longer-term solutions in the Tri-Cities.”

Jaye Treit, executive director of Progressive Housing Society –

“Winter shelters like this one can be life-saving for unhoused members of our community. We are very pleased to once again have the opportunity to provide this much-needed support, made possible thanks to BC Housing, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation and the City of Coquitlam’s collaboration in funding and finding a new location for the shelter.”

Jennifer Blatherwick, MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville –

“I am grateful to see a temporary-shelter solution come together to help people experiencing homelessness in the community during these wet and cold months. As we continue to work on long-term housing solutions, I’m looking forward to talking with our partners, local community members and businesses about ways we can continue to help vulnerable people and continue to build on our actions.”

Jodie Wickens, MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain –

“The more we can bring people indoors who have been sheltering outside, then the better off they’ll be. While this is a temporary solution, it will go a long way to help people find warm places to stay with other supports while work continues on more permanent shelter and supportive housing options.”

Rick Glumac, MLA for Port Moody-Burquitlam –

“Our government has been working diligently to help get people the support they need so they can begin to stabilize their lives. These shelter spaces can offer people a safe place with a hot meal during a very difficult and vulnerable time in their lives. Having these spaces come together shows that our government, local governments and the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation are aligned in our support for people experiencing homelessness.”

Contacts:

Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs
Media Relations
hmamedia@gov.bc.ca
236-475-4435

BC Housing
Media Relations
Media@bchousing.org

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