Nanaimo City Council voted on Wednesday to increase the budget for the free shower program at Caledonia Park.
This comes after a regular council meeting in March 2023, when the Reaching Home Nanaimo Community Advisory Board sent a letter to council requesting them to consider expanding the shower program. This request was based on a presentation the board received from Island Health about the extreme increase in lice among the unhoused population.
The increase will see the 2024 budget increase from $81,300 to $97,750 funded through the strategic infrastructure reserve fund.
The shower program at Caledonia Park started as a temporary solution in 2018 to address the lack of services until a permanent option could be found. As no permanent solution has been found, the program continues at the park.
CHLY News talks to Erika Gagnon, Operations Manager at the Nanaimo Unitarian Shelter about the program.
