The Kamloops Yacht Club on River Street (Photo via City of Kamloops)
Winter shelter operations for those on the streets are opening in Kamloops, as questions about services for the homeless over the winter months continue to linger.
The Mustard Seed is opening up 20 spaces at the Yacht Club today, with the 24/7 shelter operational until the end of March.
Community Engagement Manager Katie Hutchins says there will be security on site, and says the neighborhood will be provided regular updates about the operation.
“What we did last year and what we’re doing this year as well is sending out regular touch points,” said Hutchins. “Sending out community letters before the shelter opened, mid-way through, and one as the shelter closes again. Each one of those letters has a survey.”
She says the Mustard Seed maintains a zero-tolerance policy for drug use on Yacht Club site.
“Most of our spaces are sobriety-based. Individuals are not allowed to be using substances and accessing services. That’s something that our clients know when they’re using our spaces,” said Hutchins. “Of course, if someone is smoking a cigarette, we’ll have designated smoking areas for that.”
She also suggests any levels concern within the neighborhood surrounding the Yacht Club along River Street do appear to be easing as they continue running the winter shelter.
“This year we did an open house. We had kind of a smaller turnout. I think that just shows that, last year, I heard a lot of positive feedback around how it was run,” argued Hutchins. “I think that people have less questions, because this is the third year that we’re running it.”
While shelter beds are being opened up in Kamloops, there are still questions about what services and warming areas will be available for the homeless in Kamloops this winter.
Both the Mustard Seed’s day space, as well as the Loop drop-in center on Tranquille, were shut down over the summer.
At the same time, the Mustard Seed will not be involved in any use of the Alliance Church on the north shore this winter as an emergency shelter, leaving the use of that facility this winter as a question mark as well.
That facility — which the charity staffed last year — would open as an emergency shelter when heavy snow or temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius were in the forecast.
