Despite plans for a permanent shelter in Creston remaining up in the air, there are many compassionate individuals ready to lend a helping hand.
Since 2023, the Creston Valley Den Society has provided outreach, food, kindness, and temporary shelter to the local unhoused community.
“I'm a retired principal, so I'm very, very devoted to the needs of our vulnerable people,” said Nancy DeVuono, board chair.
“I saw many, many needy children through my entire career as a teacher with struggling parents. I saw kids living in cars. I knew moms who were struggling, moving from house to house on couches. I saw people living in trailers and without heat. And then, I also have family members and close friends who are unhoused, who struggle with addiction and poverty. So, I see it on all levels.”
Currently, the Den rents space from Trinity United Church to operate a daily drop-in centre, offering a hot meal each afternoon. Anyone is welcome to stop by, wash up, and warm up from 1 to 3 p.m., seven days a week.
Part of their outreach also includes partnerships with agencies like community nursing, seniors advocates, and employment services.
“We're bringing services in to help folks where they are, and we're continuing to build on that,” said DeVuono. “We have great relationships with all of our non-profits in Creston. And, of course, our volunteers are fantastic – about 30 regular on-the-ground volunteers who help to cook and make sandwiches and serve in the kitchen.”
On any given day, there are between eight to 12 people utilizing the Den’s services.
“Beyond that, there are folks who come in who just need to make their dollars stretch to the end of the month. Some of them are seniors. Some of them are on disability,” said DeVuono. “Everybody's welcome. If we can help them, we will.”
With the colder winter weather, DeVuono said their mission has become all the more critical.
The Den collects donations of winter gear, clothing, propane tanks, and toiletries to be given to anyone who needs it. A wishlist of supplies can be found on the Creston Valley Unhoused Education and Resources Facebook page. And since there isn’t a permanent location with accessible laundry or showers, money for the laundromat and rec centre facilities is also provided when asked for.
“Those kinds of things help to keep body and soul together,” said DeVuono. “Whatever people's needs are, we try and fulfill those needs.”
The Friends of the Den, now over 100 members strong, offers additional grassroots support and connections to the greater community.
The Den’s work has been funded through grants, cash and in-kind donations, and support from other non-profits like Trinity Treasures and Gleaners. Local businesses, like Jimmy’s Pub and Mountain Barn, have also been generous with food donations, while Fields Forward has offered a secure and accessible storage space.
“People are working together, and it's definitely making a difference,” said DeVuono.
She implores other community members to practice compassion and withhold judgment when it comes to unhoused people.
“You don't have to look very far to see someone – a family member, a neighbour, a friend of a friend – who is struggling with all of the things that our homeless folks are struggling with: trauma, addiction, illness, mental illness, and poverty,” she said. “They still need support. We are helping them as best we can, but shelter first is the only way you're going to really make any significant difference. We cannot provide any serious or long-term assistance to people who are fighting each day just to survive.”
She asks for residents to write to town council, MLA Brittny Anderson, and BC Housing representatives to advocate for a permanent shelter.
“Our original proposal was for a nine-bed shelter, and we would love to work with the Town of Creston to make that happen to ensure our unhoused citizens have somewhere to survive, every night, out of the cold, this winter and beyond,” said DeVuono.
For more information on the cause, visit www.crestonvalleydensociety.ca. To volunteer and become a Friend of the Den, or send an e-transfer donation, contact info@crestonvalleydensociety.ca.
Cash or cheque donations can be given directly to Trinity United Church. The Den Society is not yet able to provide tax receipts, as it has taken time to receive a registered charity number.