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October 26, 2023 - 12:05 PM
Emergency shelter spaces in Kamloops are set to open next week, returning to the same locations as last winter.
The Mustard Seed will be running a 20-bed shelter at the Yacht Club, while the Kamloops Alliance Church will be used on an as-needed basis again, according to a news release issued today, Oct. 26.
The announcement comes just days ahead of the shelters planned opening, which is set for Nov. 1.
Mustard Seed staff will work at both shelters with 25 full-time employees, but the Alliance Church shelter will only open its 30-bed space during extreme weather events.
The newly announced spaces are in addition to other year-round shelters like Merit Place on Notre Dame Drive, and downtown shelters at the Emerald Centre and The Mustard Seed.
"These shelters will provide much-needed respite and support for our most vulnerable this winter, offering short-term stability for Kamloops' most at-risk population," Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in the release.
Out of the Cold's shelter at the former Stuart Wood Elementary will also continue operation through the winter with its lease extended through until April 30, according to Kamloops social, housing and community development manager, Carmin Mazzotta.
The expanded winter shelter operations raise the city's shelter capacity by 50 for the winter, opening all the same facilities as it had in place last year.
Although the announcement comes just six days before their planned opening, shelters this year will open on time. Last year, the shelters were delayed until Nov. 8 at least in part because one shelter operator backed out at the last minute.
Several non-profits across the Thompson-Okanagan signed an open letter at the time calling for an end to the province's short-term solutions to homelessness.
The six organizations signed the letter to say "no more" short-term winter shelter programs, intending to place more focus on permanent supportive housing.
A similar sentiment was recently echoed by BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau, who called for more year-round shelters across the province.
“This government has been passive as this crisis has deepened. We see every community desperately trying to meet the needs of more and more people who are falling through the cracks. It's time for the province to step up and put in place the secure funding that will protect people all year," Furstenau said in a news release.
The Green Party said the last minute "scramble" has become familiar as winter temperatures close in on BC communities.
For the winter, Kamloops increased its 205 shelter beds to 255 when nights are coldest, not including the Kamloops YMCA women's shelter or the A Way Home Kamloops youth shelter.
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