A group of homeless people are refusing to leave their makeshift camp under the north end of the Granville Street Bridge until the city finds them a new place to live.
They have been staying in the False Creek North area since the nearby emergency cold weather shelter closed down at the beginning of July.
Gary Sherwood, who lived in the shelter since it opened last December, said he wants the city to find them housing soon.
“Maybe reopen this (shelter) or get a bigger building,” said Sherwood. “This shelter was pretty much my home.”
False Creek North residents say the two new shelters brought drug dealing, open drug use and theft into their neighbourhood.
One resident, who didn’t want to be named because he’s been targeted for speaking up about the shelters, said city hall needs to act quickly.
“They’ve created a losing situation for the residents of the area, a losing situation for residents of the shelter,” he said. “Now they’ve created a huge mess with no plan out of it.”
