鈥淭hank you.鈥�

Those were the two words one Chilliwack homeless man spoke when asked what he wanted to say to the people who built him a wooden structure to protect him from the freezing winter elements.

James has been living on the streets of Chilliwack for years. He has been sleeping on Vedder Road, on the sidewalk outside the BC Liquor Store in Sardis.

But on Thursday (Feb. 11) James had a new place to sleep.

A structure, made from standard sized sheets of plywood, was set up outside the liquor store. It was built by folks from the Chilliwack Fire Department and the plywood was donated by Canex Building Supplies.

The simple, rectangular structure is raised a few inches off the ground and is open on one end. Styrofoam covers the floor to add cushioning and warmth for James.

On Thursday afternoon, James was lying down in the wooden structure when The Progress spoke with him.

Inside the box, the sub-zero winter winds were not felt 鈥� it was warm.

James was resting under a green sleeping bag. A gently used winter coat sat at the entrance and just outside the structure were a handful of coffee cups and some take-out bags of food.

The Progress chatted briefly with James and asked if he had anything else to say to the Good Samaritans who made the structure for him.

鈥淣o. Just thank you,鈥� he said.

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The City of Chilliwack has received several calls this week from people concerned about James鈥� safety with the recent Arctic outflow weather.

On Thursday Mayor Ken Popove wrote a letter to Dr. Victoria Lee, president of Fraser Health Authority, requesting they assess and evaluate James in person to see if there is any way to get him out of the cold.

鈥淲e are aware that James refuses to seek shelter indoors at any of the available facilities in Chilliwack during the extreme cold and we are hopeful that Fraser Health will take the necessary steps to help him,鈥� said Jamie Leggatt, director of communications with the city.

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