A bus depot in front of Merit Place, a homeless shelter in Kamloops on Notre Dame Drive.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Facebook

Some Kamloops residents are concerned unsafe interactions between road traffic and foot traffic outside a homeless shelter could lead to serious injury or death.

Merit Place opened in March, 2022 at the former Greyhound station located at 725 Notre Dame Drive, providing 50 beds for the city’s homeless.

READ MORE: New Kamloops shelters to be ready in time for 'dry floor season' at Memorial Arena

“It is scary to witness seeing these homeless under the influence and stumbling off the curbs into traffic,” said Notre Dame Tire owner Mark Wright. “It is only a matter of time before someone gets killed.”

Merit Place is located beside the busy Notre Dame Drive, kitty corner to a main intersection and around 100 metres away from the Columbia St W ramp onto the Trans-Canada Highway. It is close to businesses in an industrial section and a mall across the street. 

“Drivers often have to wait at a green light because there is a small group of people trying to figure out how to stumble across, there is far more foot traffic now,” Wright said. “It’s a busy section of town. It just seems dangerous.”

Wright has lived and operated a business near the Merit Place location for over a decade.

When the shelter opened he upgraded his security system and added more cameras, while the building management company added more lights on the property.

“We have noticed more foot traffic in our locked compound at all times of the night,” he said. “Just people wandering around, checking doors to see if they are locked. We do our best to make sure nothing is left outside that we care about and recommend to customers not to leave their vehicles on our lot overnight.”

READ MORE: Grass fire near TRU sparked by homeless camp: Kamloops Fire Rescue

While the increased threat of property crime is frustrating, Wright’s biggest concern is about the dangerous behaviour he is seeing amongst busy traffic.

Shaun Reid works in the area and witnessed a risky scene shortly after the shelter opened. 

“It was early in the morning and I was on my way to work,” he said. “I was turning onto Laval and some person was wearing a blanket over his head right down to his feet making it impossible for him to see anything. He just walked right out into traffic on the other side of the Starbucks to cross the street to the shelter.”

Reid said his workplace is heavily fenced off and he is so busy he is no longer leaving work for lunch.

“The only time I see these individuals wandering around is when I’m coming and going to work,” he said. “I see them at the bus stop next to the Greyhound or panhandling at the intersection or in front of Winners mall area.”

Bryan Koll grew up in Kamloops.

“There are many sections of town where people under the influence are wandering around traffic,” he said. “This particular location is too close to busy traffic and a very busy intersection, the Columbia-Trans Canada Highway corridor is right there. I think the city should re-evaluate where they put these facilities to make sure the individuals and the public are not at risk.”

Merit Place is managed by Canadian Mental Health Association, Kamloops Branch. Executive director Alfred Achoba did not respond with comment in time for publication.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022