Interior social agencies call on BC Housing, Interior Health to look for more long-term solutions

Any other chilly evening, Love would’ve tried to sleep at one of the city’s two temporary shelters, but they haven’t been able to open after CMHA opted out as an operator last week. He says the shelters are so badly needed right now.

“I see people that are on the streets here constantly that need the place. There are ladies out here that need safety, need the warmth,” he noted. “With CMHA backing out of the temporary shelters, it just leaves more people at harm.”

In light of the temporary shelters not opening in Kamloops, social agencies from across the region sent an open letter on Friday to Interior mayors and councils, BC Housing and Interior Health, asking for immediate action to be taken on the homelessness and opioid crisis.

“This sector — the supportive housing, homeless sector — has been under seige,” said ASK Wellness executive director Bob Hughes. “It’s been under seige from local governments, it has been condemned online, and we’ve also seen obviously the terrible outcomes happening with the opioid crisis.”

Hughes says social agencies and shelter operators across the Interior want action from the province and Interior Health now.

“This is universal in our region. We’ve hit the point of a humanitarian crisis where people are literally potentially going to freeze to death because there’s nowhere for them to go,” said Hughes. “It’s high time that we recognize we need more housing and we need to have the political will to go forward and create housing. At the end of the day, these are lives.”

The letter noted, if anything, there needs to be more permanent shelters to begin with. It says temporary shelters are not working for people dealing with more complex issues on the street.

Hughes says something needs to change and quickly.

“We can’t as a sector, as shelter operators, carry on with this burden. Who’s left outside now are people with the most complex needs, including addiction. It’s just unrealistic that non-profit sector’s going to be baring the burden of the welfare — the life and death welfare — of people with such complex issues.”

For Murray, who fortunately doesn’t struggle with addiction, is hoping to be set up with housing soon, so he doesn’t have to deal with another cold winter.

by Chad Klassen

Interior social agencies call on BC Housing, Interior Health to look for more long-term solutions

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