A Kamloops city councillor says relocating a mobile safe drug-use RV from downtown has given businesses some relief.
But Arjun Singh says the city doesn’t want to play “ping pong” with moving problems somewhere.
Speaking on the NL Morning Show, he says when people on the street are moved along, the city wants to have the services available to help them move on with their lives.
“And that’s another issue we’re kind of going to be lobbying on. We’re trying to find that suite of services that go with housing, that go with people who are outreached. Because when someone says ‘I’m ready to get help,’ the worst thing you can say is ‘I have a wait list for you.'”
The safe-consumption RV is typically parked at the Crossroads Inn and is now parked in Mission Flats when it is not in use – a decision made after businesses near 6th and Seymour voiced concerns about vagrancy and held a community meeting on the matter – which involved police, Interior Health, members of city council and many others.
Singh reiterates everyone knows that’s not the answer to fully address vagrancy.
“It’s like putting out a variety of spot fires, but you really have to think about the complete forest. There’s a lot of things we can do as a community to try to really figure out how to help the situation get better. When we’re at our best, we think about the whole situation and really try to work it out, and I think we’re doing that more and more.”