B.C. - The Salvation Army established the city's first temporary emergency shelter this week when getting homeless people out of sub-zero temperatures became a No. 1 priority.

The shelter was set up at the Lighthouse Centre, site of The Salvation Army's downtown hot lunch program.

Salvation Army staff and volunteers put out mats, sleeping bags, blankets and pillows on the floor of the Lighthouse Centre. The people who slept there were given hot soup and sandwiches in the evening and a small breakfast in the morning.

The emergency shelter will be open as long as the temperatures are below zero or there's snow or slush on the ground.