Innovative homeless housing project almost filled to capacity on Kamloops's North Shore
A controversial homeless shelter on Kamloops' North Shore is almost 80 per cent full after intake of residents began in the middle of April.
Moira House has prompted comments on social media from business owners and homeowners in the area who are concerned the shelter will draw more crime and other social problems to the neighbourhood.
The shelter is a $1.8 million B.C. Housing project operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association, located at 600 Kingston Avenue, designed for homeless people with substance-use disorders and/or mental health issues.
The housing model is not the same as other shelter models for the homeless in Kamloops, and is the first of its kind in the city, said executive director Alfred Achoba. More supports are in place and residents are assessed first before being allotted a room, factors he predicts will result in a successful outcome for clients and the surrounding community.
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He said so far things are running smoothly.
“We have done a lot of research on how we want to do this program, the success is in how it is run,” he said. “This type of housing is for people who are ready to build on their lives. We have to assess them and wait until they are ready to work with us and make positive life changes. They know when they are ready.”
Currently 32 out of the 40 beds have been designated at Moira House and some of the remaining rooms are disabled units that cannot be filled until the paving work is finished later this month.
Various supports have been brought to the project in recent weeks.
“We have nurses coming in Monday through to Friday,” Achoba said. “We have practicum students from the university and Sprott Shaw College training onsite. We have three staff onsite every shift along with a cook.”
Achoba said there have been very few incidents with the program to date and some clients have been connected to recovery programs.
“There are people who want to reintegrate into society and they just need additional supports,” he said.
READ MORE: Mother of overdose victim in favour of controversial Moira House in Kamloops
The association is sharing information on its program outcomes on its website, showing the number of clients in the shelter and how many have been case managed.
“We have been transparent since our first month of Moira so people can see how many clients we have and what the success rate is,” he said.
Safety initiatives for the site include a good neighbour agreement, cameras, fencing and lighting.
Kamloops resident Jesse Ritcey took a guided tour of the project at the end of April.
“The facility is secured to protect it from vandalism and theft,” Ritcey said. “Residents can come and go as they like and are buzzed in by the onsite security staff. It is not a drop-in facility. It has assigned people living there who are a bit further along on the path to permanent housing and wellness.”
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Residents live in a dorm-style layout with each private bedroom having a bed, a desk and a small television. Residents are supplied with three meals a day and snacks. There is a designated smoking area outside and a designated room for supervised consumption of other substances.
An outdoor garden is in the works with most of the planters already built.
Achoba plans to keep collecting data and more time is needed to get a clear picture of how successful the project is and if it can be a model to use in other areas of the city.
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