A Way Home Kamloops says it is working to secure land to expand its new Safe Suites program for homeless youth and young adults.

Executive director Katherine McParland says the biggest barrier to expand is not having land.

“So if (reading) this and has land that they are able to provide to support this, Safe Suites needs to find our forever home. This is something in the interim.”

Phase one of Safe Suites opened yesterday, with six rooms, 24-7 staff and case workers assigned to each occupant of the home.

McParland says the housing model from A Way Home Kamloops also needs to include 24-7 staff.

“We did a pilot and we didn’t have 24-7 staffing, and what ended up happening is the streets came in, and we had instances of domestic violence, sexual exploitation and suicide attempts. So we had to stop the pilot project,” she says.

“Youth with the most complex or mental health or substance use issues really require a more supportive environment. For young people who are fleeing experiences such as being human-trafficked or sexually exploited, they actually need a home where’s there’s staff to prevent the street from coming in.”

McParland says there is an urgent need to expand; 121 young adults were referred to the organization for help to find housing, and three of those people died last year.