British ColumbiaIn the absence of an official warming centre in Fort St. John, B.C., a local resident is trying to ensure vulnerable community members are not left out in the cold.With no official warming centre, a Fort St. John resident has created a community gathering spaceTom Summer · CBC News · Posted: Dec 02, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Volunteers sit with organizer Kristen Goold in a small tent in Fort St. John, B.C. Goold wanted to create a space for people to go in harsh winter weather, as the city lacks a warming centre. (Tom Summer/CBC)In the absence of an official warming centre in Fort St. John, B.C., a local resident is trying to ensure vulnerable community members are not left out in the cold.Warm Welcome, a grassroots initiative started by Kristen Goold, is a space for those who are struggling with homelessness. She says approximately 30 to 60 people drop by on the days they’re set up. Goold and volunteers offer warm items and company on Sunday and Thursday evenings, with two tents just outside the doors of the local WorkBC office. “It’s survival up here. And everybody up here is a survivor,” said Goold. Join CBC to help Make the Season Kind for Canadians this winter“Everyone knows what it’s like to tough through the cold, but it takes a lot out of you.”Goold experienced homelessness firsthand, unable to work due to a disability. She was diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age, a condition that’s worsened in her adult life. Facing high rental prices and unable to support herself, she began living out of her car in Kelowna in 2022, staying at campgrounds and anywhere her car could take her. Kristen Goold and volunteer Sydney Marsh prepare more hot chocolate for people dropping by. Hand warmers, tea, and winter clothing are being offered to those in need. (Tom Summer/CBC)“It’s not fun. You wake up at 5, 4:30 in the morning and you turn your car on because you’re shivering.” Not everyone has a car, said Goold, and turning the engine on isn’t always practical or affordable. “When I was homeless, I was thinking, what do I want? What do I need, right? And it was all of the things that I’m putting on the table there,” Goold said. The setup is minimalist: one tent is draped in quilts with chairs surrounding a small propane fire pit, another has tables with items like tea, hot chocolate, winter clothing, hand warmers, naloxone kits, water and food. Goold says a community grant made the initiative possible, although some items they’ve paid for out of pocket. Gift cards to Canadian Tire and other donations are always welcome. Goold’s uses the back of her vehicle to store items used for the warming space. Goold says at one time she lived in her car as she faced unaffordable rental prices in Kelowna. (Tom Summer/CBC)Safely housed since November of last year through government and non-profit support, Goold said she wants to help others who are experiencing what she lived through. “If I have the opportunity to give back to my community, I’m going to. Because when I came here, I got a lot of help and a lot of support.” There are a number of volunteers helping Goold, including Trevor Sweezey, who grew up in Fort St. John. Tea, hot chocolate, and snacks like oranges are offered to those in need. On the other table is winter clothing, donated to the warming space to give out. (Tom Summer/CBC)He has lived experience with both homelessness and addiction, and says people caring makes a huge difference. “When I was homeless, people would come up to me and ask me if I was OK or ask me if I needed anything. And it lifts your spirit up when you’re when you’re down, like there’s a lot of down moments.”Sweezey says homeless people are often judged and falsely accused of crimes like theft. “It would be nice if more people come down and kind of see it’s not a scary place, you know? Homeless aren’t scary. Give them a chance, they would love a conversation.”He says he became homeless in 2017, living out of his truck in –40 degree weather. A lot of people die from the cold, said Sweezey. Volunteer Trevor Sweezey says there’s a lot of judgment around homelessness, but he feels it’s a situation that could happen to anyone. (Tom Summer/CBC)The B.C. Coroners Service reported the outdoor deaths of 36 people during a cold snap in the province in January 2024, according to The Canadian Press. With the community’s help, Goold says she hopes to have the space open more days a week, and possibly offer a meal program. “To sit by a fire, have a hot chocolate and have a sense of community, people are trekking through all sorts of weather to just come here,” she said. CBC B.C. is hosting its annual Make the Season Kind campaign in support of Food Banks in B.C. on Friday, Dec. 5, featuring a day full of special programming. Anyone wishing to make a donation as part of the campaign can go to cbc.ca/kindbc, where a drop-down menu will direct your donation to any of the 111 food banks that are part of Food Banks B.C. ABOUT THE AUTHORTom Summer is a reporter for CBC News in Fort St. John. Born and raised in the Peace Country, he previously reported for the Alaska Highway News, covering community issues, courts, municipal politics, and Site C, while travelling across Northeast B.C. working on the traditional territory of Treaty 8 First Nations. You can reach him at tom.summer@cbc.caWith files from The Canadian Press
Fort St. John, B.C., resident helping the homeless keep warm this winter
