BC Housing hosted an open house for Kamloopsians with questions about a proposed Tranquille Road shelter on Nov. 21, 2024.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

It was a full house at the information session arranged for a proposed Kamloops homeless shelter.

Around 200 people showed up to the McArthur Island arena event where BC Housing and city officials fielded questions from business owners and residents. The proposed shelter would be the first year-round North Shore shelter in years, but the plans are meeting resistance.

Some business owners in the area of the planned 142 Tranquille Road shelter started voicing their opposition to the project earlier this month when the public first learned of the plans through a Nov. 5 city council meeting.

"This just came so fast," business owner Mike Funk said at the event.

He questioned the security measures in place, whether shelter users would be allowed to use drugs and whether someone will be available to clean up from an increase in vandalism he foresees coming to his nearby business Funk Electrical.

A BC Housing representative at the event assured him the non-profit running the shelter, Ask Wellness, can be contacted regarding problems with the shelter. Police and bylaw patrols are also expected to increase in the area, but it didn't seem to alleviate his concern.

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"They're not here to listen," Funk said, feeling that officials at the event, hosted by BC Housing, were giving answers but didn't seem to welcome feedback.

City councillor Kelly Hall, however, told iNFOnews.ca city staff and BC Housing were effectively answering questions.

He also said there were misconceptions about the shelter and the way it's funded, which he and city staff were able to clear up. He was questioned, for example, about why city taxpayers were paying for the shelter to which he clarified that shelters are entirely funded by BC Housing.

The shelter would host 44 beds if approved by Kamloops city council on Nov. 26, 2024.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

The Nov. 21 event lasted for two hours. City, BC Housing and Ask Wellness representatives were scattered throughout the room. It was a format not well liked by everyone, including Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson who said he was concerned by the lack of "recovery" options for homeless people in Kamloops.

Another shelter is another short-term approach, Hamer-Jackson said.

The proposed shelter will have 44 beds for at least 20 months under a lease with Arpa Investments, which bought the former RV dealership property to eventually redevelop into housing. It's also the first attempt at hosting what's been called a "community access hub" meant to help people connect to a variety of services like health care, housing and employment.

The access hub model was originally proposed by the North Shore business association, but this iteration isn't exactly as planned.

The hub won't be open to anyone who's homeless and needs those connections, only those who are staying at the shelter itself. The association's executive director Jeremy Heighton said there are still questions to be answered before his organization throws its support behind the shelter.

BC Housing hasn't had an open house in Kamloops to address the concerns of community members since a supportive housing project was proposed in 2018 also on Tranquille Road.

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City council must approve a temporary use permit on Nov. 26 before BC Housing can begin the work to get the shelter open next month. In recent years, the North Shore has hosted extreme cold shelters only, but this one would stay open year-round.

The South Shore shelters are often full each night and their combined capacity is below the minimum homeless population of 312 last estimated in the city. That survey counted 192 who were in shelters at the time, but it's also common for people to avoid shelters.

Shane, who lives in a camp just off Tranquille Road, told iNFOnews.ca he prefers to stay away from shelters for a several reasons. Among those were a lack privacy and getting ousted each morning, usually around 7 a.m.

"It's better than going to the library or a doorway all day," he said.

Aside from the coldest nights, he prefers to stay in his own camp.

"It's home," Shane said, adding that he'd have to carry all his belongings if he were staying at a shelter.

City council will likely hear from advocates and those opposed to the homeless shelter before casting their votes on the temporary use for the property at a meeting next week.

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