ASK Wellness CEO Bob Hughes speaks to Kamloops city council on Nov. 26, 2024, ahead of a vote on the Pathways shelter on Tranquille Road.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

North Kamloops will get its first year-round shelter in years after getting a nod from city council.

By the end of December, BC Housing expects to open the shelter but it's not without strings attached. Council asked for a progress update before granting a possible extension to the Pathways shelter.

The suggestion came after calls from the public to ensure the shelter doesn't worsen issues like vandalism and drug use in the area.

"I think it's on us to have a check-in," councillor Bill Sarai said.

He said it's "good governance" to make BC Housing come back for a progress update.

READ MORE: Full house at BC Housing open house for proposed North Shore homeless shelter

Not every councillor was happy with the conditional approval.

Nancy Bepple said the task of just finding a location was "tremendously difficult" before getting to the Tuesday meeting.

In July, the city announced that it was in the process of locking in a deal to buy a property for a shelter, but the deal fell through and the project was delayed.

This new property is a lease between BC Housing and a developer, rather than directly with the city as was originally planned.

Bepple and councillor Dale Bass were opposed in an effort to avoid a search for another shelter come 2026. Other than councillor Mike O'Reilly, who was absent, Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson was the only person on council who opposed the shelter entirely.

The hours-long meeting started with a line into the lobby -- dozens of people all waiting to speak to council about the shelter.

Council heard from non-profits, business owners and residents ahead of the vote. Many pleaded to approve the shelter and framed the homeless situation as dire.

Others voiced concern with the shelter, with some outright opposed and others pleading for guarantees there will be enough security in the area.

"I don't think it's about denying the shelter. I think it's about having some hard lines drawn," Rob Guido of Drago's Automotive said at the Nov. 26 council meeting.

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He has been outspoken with his concern since it first came to council. Rather than voicing demand that council deny it entirely, he wanted to see guarantees that the neighbourhood is monitored.

Shelter operator ASK Wellness pleaded that it go ahead with the coming winter, along with heads of non-profits that run other shelters.

"If you don't approve, how do you expect to reduce strain on emergency services?" Alfred Achoba of Canadian Mental Health Association said.

BC Housing earmarked $3.5 million for construction to prepare the shelter for late-December opening. It will host 44 beds and a so-called access hub to connect shelter users with housing, health and job supports.

The provincial government has a 20-month lease arranged with Arpa Developments Ltd., a developer that bought the former Butler RV dealership.

Though there is a potential extension written in for up to four years, Arpa will likely build a condo on the property and it may not agree to keeping the shelter open past 2026.

Council isn't typically required to give approval for new shelters, but a zoning stipulation for the area stipulated that BC Housing had to do so through a temporary use permit.

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