Kamloops homeless outreach centre, The Loop at 405A Tranquille.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

An outreach centre on Kamloops's North Shore providing food, warmth and shelter for the homeless is continuing to accrue thousands of dollars in fines tied to its nuisance property status.

Last week volunteers at The Loop on Tranquille Road stepped in to help fill the gaps left when the City of Kamloops’s overnight winter shelters plans were delayed and temperatures plummeted.

Yet the outreach centre remains a “nuisance property” and the landlord continues to receive fines from the city.

The Loop operator Glenn Hilke said the fines are up to $3,000 and keep coming, “taking away important financial resources coming in from businesses and individuals who donate.”

“I’ve made calls to bylaw officers in the last month after I got a copy of a letter sent to the landlord with more fines attached to it,” he said. “I want to know why we are getting fines while the city’s employees and colleagues are coming to thank us for what we are doing.”

READ MORE: Kamloops emergency overnight shelter spread thin with cold winter conditions

Newly elected councillor Nancy Bepple dropped off donations last week and new mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has assisted operations in the past.

The fines are for “Excessive Use of Services.”

“Once you have a nuisance status attached to your property you are responsible for the cost of the alerts and calls the city will get – you are responsible for security and good neighbourliness of your property 24/7,” Hilke said.

“We are working with a community in need of services all the time. Fire and ambulances for overdoses, Car40, police coming to do wellness checks, and community officer services.”

Hilke’s nuisance status was given to him by community service officers in May, 2021.

“Back when the nuisance status was announced to us in a conference call with city officials present we asked how long the status was going to remain on the property and they told us ‘for life’,” said operator of The Loop, Glenn Hilke.

“I have been told by CSO this nuisance status is supposed to be reviewed every six months, but no one has contacted us.”

READ MORE: More shelter spaces needed as Kamloops, Kelowna deal with homeless fires

The volunteers at The Loop worked double time the first week of November to fill in the gaps made when the two overnight winter shelters in the city were delayed.

The community service manager with the City did not respond for comment in time for publication.

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