Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Michael Reeve

WINTER SHELTERS

Winter shelters at capacity as temperatures plummet in Kamloops

Jan 12, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — According to the B.C. government, there are 194 shelter spaces in Kamloops and with temperatures well below -20 in the city, all of those spots have quickly become filled. That includes the 30-bed emergency shelter at the Kamloops Alliance Church.

With shelters across the city at capacity last night and people still looking for a warm place to spend the night, The Loop in Kamloops opened up to keep 12 people off the streets.

“We aren’t going to let them stay outside and freeze to death. I had three people with frostbite already. I don’t know. There will be a death if we don’t have some spaces,” said Loop Volunteer Danica Fletcher.

With spaces full, a midnight call went out to Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson. Speaking with CFJC Today on Friday, he was willing to take blame for the terrible situation, saying a solution is desperately needed from all levels of government.

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“You’re going to be responsible for people dying, freezing in the cold, and I thought to myself, the citizens elected me to have a safer community and that is what I’m going to do,” said Hamer-Jackson.

While the mayor is pondering a local state of emergency, he feels things will be corrected without the situation getting to that level.

“Two agencies worked together last night, the Mustard Seed and [The Loop coordinator] Glenn Hilke, they worked together. They called me, I took action. We need everybody to work together, we need everybody to work together,” stated Hamer-Jackson.

This year’s Point-in-Time (PIT) count from the city highlighted an increase in the Kamloops homeless population. That report is what made Thursday night so hard to take for those at The Loop.

“Somebody needs to step up. We are a day space, not a shelter. We don’t have the facility or the space for it, or funding. We have no funding,” said Fletcher. “I don’t know how this is going to happen. The shocking part is we knew the cold weather was coming, we new the PIT count was higher, yet nobody did anything.”