The low-barrier Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) shelters were announced on December 9, 2008 by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson to assist

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

’s homeless citizens during an extremely cold winter. The province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, City of

and Streetohome Foundation each provided funding of $500,000 at the time. They were conceived by the

Homeless Emergency Action Team The Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) was announced on December 9, 2008 by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson to assist Vancouver's homeless citizens during an extremely cold winter.

. There were a total of 5 shelters: * 1435 Granville Street, operated by RainCity Housing * 1442 Howe Street, operated by RainCity Housing * 51B Cordova Street, operated by the Portland Hotel Society * 240 Northern Street, operated by the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre * 320 Hastings Street, operated by the First United Church of Canada In March 2009 the province of British Columbia provided an additional $1.5 million to keep the shelters open until the end of June."Province Extends Funding for Vancouver HEAT Shelters"
''Province of British Columbia News Release'', June 29, 2009. The shelters at 1435 Granville Street and 1442 Howe Street were controversial. Community residents cited concerns with lack of public consultation, fights, public urination, defecation, public sex, and open drug use.
''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', July 30, 2009."Decision on HEAT shelter closure likely today"
, ''

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 ...

'', July 29, 2009. British Columbia Housing Minister

Rich Coleman Richard Thomas Coleman (born c. 1956) is a Canadian politician and former police officer, who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia from 1996 to 2020, and is a former interim leader of the British Columbia Liberal P ...

cited the need for laying out rules of operation and the need for better community consultation. He called Mayor Robertson's bargaining on housing homeless people "amateurish""B.C. housing minister apologizes to Vancouver mayor for calling city’s tactics on homeless ‘amateurish’"
''

'', June 29, 2009. and later apologized for the remark. Mayor Robertson reached an agreement with Housing Minister Rich Coleman and came to a mutual decision to close the Granville Street shelter and reassess the Howe Street shelter. On June 29, 2009 the province of British Columbia announced that funding for the 1435 Granville Street shelter ended and that the shelter would close on July 1, 2009 and that the 1442 Howe Street shelter would be put into a 30-day community consultation process to determine its future. On July 30, 2009 the province of British Columbia announced the 1442 Howe Street shelter would shut down on August 7, 2009. It shut down early on August 5, 2009, two days ahead of schedule, as alternate housing was found."Howe Street shelter shuts down early"
'' CBC'', June 29, 2009. On September 15, 2009, Vancouver city staff issued a report warning Mayor Robertson and the

Vancouver City Council Vancouver City Council is the governing body of Vancouver, British Columbia. The council consists of a mayor and ten councillors elected to serve a four-year term. Monthly, a deputy mayor is appointed from among the councillors. The current may ...

that they should no longer expect the HEAT shelters to be funded after the 2009-2010 fiscal year."Now, THAT's an agenda!"
''

News 1130 CKWX (1130 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Rogers Sports & Media, it broadcasts an news/talk radio format branded as ''CityNews 1130''. CKWX's studios and offices are located at 2440 Ash Str ...

'', September 18, 2009."City of Vancouver Administrative Report"
''

City of Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

archives'', September 15, 2009. On January 5, 2010, Mayor Robertson announced that the controversial"Controversial homeless shelter reopens"
/ref> shelter at 1435 Granville Street, in a predominantly residential neighbourhood, would re-open the following day without robust neighbourhood consultations. It is scheduled to close by April 30, 2010."City of Vancouver re-opens emergency shelter on Granville Wednesday
The city is planning an open house approximately 2 weeks after re-opening the shelter.

References

{{reflist Politics of Vancouver Homelessness in Canada