20-bed winter shelter to open at former Riverview site early next year to help ease shortfall

Twenty new temporary shelter spaces will be opening at the site of the former Riverview Hospital early next year, the province announced on Wednesday.

Now renamed as Sumiqwuelu (suh-Mee-kwuh El-uh) the shelter is scheduled to operate nightly from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., providing overnight accommodation for people currently living in encampments across the Tri-Cities.

Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle said the additional spaces are intended to help bring more people indoors during the cold and wet winter months.

“Helping more people experiencing homelessness come inside, with warm, safe shelter spaces, will go a long way to help the community,” Boyle said, adding the province will continue working with local governments and the Kwikwetlem First Nation (KFN) on longer-term housing solutions.

People living on the streets have been suffering from a lack of temporary winter shelters this season, as several churches which had been rotating duties providing spaces backed out of the program due to increasing demands. 

The change left the Tri-Cities without a single extreme weather shelter, and with only one supportive housing facility – which is well beyond capacity – homelessness has become increasingly visible.

According to the province, there are currently 42 shelter beds in the Tri-Cities, while the most recent point-in-time homeless count found there are an estimated 144 homeless people.

Located at 2601 Lougheed Hwy., the new shelter will be operated by Progressive Housing and Health Society on a temporary basis from early January until April 2026. A shuttle service will be provided to help people access the shelter, with stops at three locations throughout the Tri-Cities.

The province said the shelter was made possible through collaboration between the KFN, the City of Coquitlam, BC Housing and local MLAs Jennifer Blatherwick, Jodie Wickens and Rick Glumac.

KFN Chief Ron Giesbrecht said the Nation supports the shelter as an interim measure while longer-term housing is pursued. The grounds of the former asylum have long been held as a place of cultural and spiritual significance to the KFN.

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

Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said the shelter comes at a critical time, noting winter shelter services in the Tri-Cities were facing significant pressure.

“This is an important step in making sure people experiencing homelessness have a warm, safe place to go during winter,” Stewart said. “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.”

Progressive Housing and Health Society’s executive director, Jaye Treit, said winter shelters can be life-saving for people without housing.

“We are very pleased to once again have the opportunity to provide this much-needed support, made possible thanks to BC Housing, KFN and the City of Coquitlam’s collaboration,” Treit said.

According to the province, BC Housing is funding nearly 6,500 shelter spaces in close to 60 communities across B.C. this winter, adding more than 1,400 homes are open or underway in the Tri-Cities area, including 80 supportive housing units.

As of June 30, 2025, the province reports more than 93,600 homes delivered or underway across B.C., including more than 9,400 supportive housing units. It touts that overall shelter capacity – including permanent shelter spaces – has more than doubled since 2017.

The total cost of the temporary shelter in Coquitlam, along with other winter shelters across the province, will be determined at the end of the winter season.