The Eddy

A low-barrier shelter on 3rd Avenue in Smithers. 25 beds, staffed around the clock, open year round.

The Eddy Shelter logo: a formline raven curled inside a crescent, sheltering a house with two figures and a heart.

We will operate the new HEART & HEARTH shelter on 3rd Avenue. It's an interim low-barrier shelter, and it will run until the permanent supportive housing and shelter building is built and ready to open. That building will be run by Smithers Community Services Association.

We chose the name together. An eddy is the part of a river where the current slows behind a rock, and it's where fish rest before carrying on upstream. That felt right for what this place is meant to be — somewhere to stop partway through, not the end of the journey.

Low barrier means that you don’t need to be sober, you don’t need ID, and you don’t need a referral to get support here. If you need somewhere to stay, a meal, a warm place, or someone to talk to, you can show up as you are and we’ll work with you to figure out how we can help.

Where things stand

Not open yet. Renovations are underway and we expect to open in winter 2026.

  1. Early September 2026 Announced as operator We signed on to run the shelter.
  2. Early September 2026 Renovations begin BC Housing is running the construction work.
  3. Mid September 2026 Job postings open Postings go up as they open.
  4. Late October 2026 Staff training Naloxone, de-escalation, and peer support.
  5. Winter 2026 Doors open 25 beds, staffed around the clock.

Dates from here on are estimates and will move. This bar fills to today's date.

Need shelter now?

The Eddy isn't open yet, so we can't take you in. These places can help in the meantime, and they're open now.

Emergency beds

Goodacre Place, operated by Smithers Community Services Association.
3896 Railway Ave
250-847-4660

Outreach and supplies

Northern Health runs daily outreach and harm reduction services across Smithers.
3862 A Broadway Ave
250-643-7456

What The Eddy will offer

Everything here is what we're planning for, not what's running today.

  • A bed and bedding
  • Shared washrooms
  • Daily meals
  • Staff support, 24 hours a day
  • Personalized case planning
  • Referrals to health care, housing and other community services

Renovations

The building itself is getting a central kitchen, better indoor common areas, reception and office space, a privacy-fenced outdoor area, on-site parking and landscaping.

BC Housing is overseeing the renovations. If you have a question or a concern about the construction work, the timeline, or the building itself, they're the people to talk to.

Email [email protected], or read the project details on the BC Housing page for 3892 3rd Avenue. You can ask them to add you to the list for development updates.

Work with us

We're hiring for The Eddy, and we're looking for people with lived and living experience — of homelessness, drug use, mental health struggles, or of supporting family members and loved ones through those things. We strongly encourage Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ folks to apply. We want a team that reflects the community we serve.

Positions are posted now. Word of mouth does wonders too — if you know someone who'd be good at this, put us in touch.

Get involved

Questions

If you have questions, feedback or concerns about The Eddy, write to us at [email protected]. A person reads it, and we'll get back to you.

We want to hear from the people who live and work around the building. A shelter works better when the neighbourhood around it has a direct line to the people running it, and we would far rather hear a concern early than find out about it later. That goes for people who are glad we're here and people who aren't sure yet.

Questions about the building work itself — timelines, noise, permits — go to BC Housing at [email protected], who are running the renovations.

It means a lot to us to have the chance to do this work again.