The Executive Director of the Kamloops Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association says he has heard that the City and the Province have been working together to identify an alternative site for the Merit Place Shelter.
With the lease in the old Greyhound Bus Station set to end in June, Alfred Achoba is hoping his organization will be able to continue operations, citing a high need for the shelter which has been operating at capacity since it opened last February.
“It’s pretty obvious when you drive around, there are people who need shelter, and we’ve just had winter shelters that have closed down and so we expect to see that impact as well trickle down to the other permanent shelters and shelters that have been running for a while now,” Achoba said on NL Newsday.
“We see camps pop up in areas and that kind of gives us an idea around where people need shelter. We have heard for example loud and clear that a shelter is needed on the North Shore, so I’m sure the City is working on what that would look like.”
Achoba says since the Merit Place Shelter opened its doors, there have been over 20,000 stays with nearly 600 unique individuals accessing the facility.
“When we compare that to the other shelters in town, we have had, this is one of the most sought-after shelters, where we’ve had different individuals who have come across those looking for help,” he said.
Part of the message, as Achoba explains is to communicate with the City, founders, and people in the surrounding area about the impact the Merit Place Shelter has had on the community.
“I think there needs to be that support. Not just from, you know, the city, the neighborhood, the community around about whether or not we need shelters to keep going.”
Last week, Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson hinted that discussions on the next steps for the shelter have already begun, saying it was unlikely that people who use the facility would be turned out on the street.
Achoba says it will ultimately be up to BC Housing and the City of Kamloops to decide whether or not the operations of the Merit Place Shelter will continue.
“We’ve been having that conversation on updating the City on what our shelter use has been like, daily, and I hope that they’re using all of that info to determine whether the shelter should stay open or not,” he said.
If both the city and the province find a new location to operate the Merit Place Shelter come June, Achoba says he hopes that it will be in a more permanent location.
“Part of our goal is to make sure that we don’t keep moving and moving and moving and if we’re doing that, that we’ll find something more decent because we need to recognize the impact it has on the clients who have to, every year, think about moving to another side.”
The Merit Place Shelter is one of the lowest barrier shelters in Kamloops, with 50 beds, clients are offered meals, case management, assessments, and health care services on site.