Vancouver's homeless get waterproof capes from police

The Vancouver Police Department is teaming up with a local outdoor clothing manufacturer to distribute waterproof insulated capes to homeless people living on the city's streets.

This is the fourth year employees at North Vancouver-based Arc'Teryx have volunteered to make the capes from leftover materials.

In the past, Arc’teryx has distributed the capes through the Harvest Project in North Vancouver and the Harbour Lights and First United Church in Vancouver.

But this year for the first time, hundreds of the capes will be handed out by police officers as part of the department's Homeless Outreach Program.

A count in March revealed more than 300 people are living on the streets of Vancouver and nearly 1,300 rely on shelters.