In April 2006 it became apparent that a homeless centre was nescessary after a study determined there was a minimum of a 100 homeless living in Squamish, a town of 15,000! 

It was realized that something needed to be done immediately to help these individuals so the Helping Hands Society was formed.  The  Helping Hands Society formed to help those currently in need, with a goal to evolve into a society which could transition those needing assistance from homeless to housed.

Partnering with the district the Helping Hands Society secured a location in which they could operate and opened the doors February 3, 2007.  At this time they were open three days a week providing a warm lunch, showers, internet access and laundry facilities.

November 2007 the centre became available for overnight use as an extreme weather emergency shelter.  This program allowed clients to enjoy dinner, breakfast and a warm place to sleep during extreme weather conditions.

April 2009, to make up for the closure of the soup kitchen, the centre began providing lunches Tuesday and Thursday in addition to Monday, Wednesday and Friday making the lunch opperation hours 5 days a week.

Statistics for our Centre:

In 2008 there were a total of 8806 meals provided

An astounding 3289 volunteer hours were spent operating the centre.