KAMLOOPS — Tightening restrictions at the Crossroads Inn may put more pressure on the Kamloops branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The CMHA is already feeling the strain of a full house at Emerald Centre, a low-barrier shelter for homeless men and women.
Now, ASK Wellness is planning to put a hold on accepting individuals with serious mental health, addictions, and behavioural issues at Crossroads.
CMHA Kamloops Executive Director Christa Mullaly says it’s a population that is already very difficult to find housing for.
“There’s not a lot of places for those folks to go where they can be supported appropriately with the level of support they need,” she said. “Emerald Centre already sees pressure on our services given that we’re full most nights, and we’re turning people away every night. So, the individuals that are experiencing complex needs are really an incredibly tough population in our current housing continuum to be able to support.”
Despite the increasing pressure on social agencies in Kamloops, Mullaly says ASK Wellness is making the right move.
She adds the modular housing units planned for both the north and south shores will provide balance to those experiencing more complex mental health challenges.
“Part of our intention when we open our modular housing is that we tenant those buildings in a balanced way, which means that we’re not going to bring in 100 per cent of the tenants that have high-vulnerability and high support needs,” Mullaly said. “We really need to be able to create a mix of a tenant population that will be balanced and allow people to get well in that environment.”
