Amid opposition, new homeless shelter takes root in Merritt

“The main concern is about safety of the community in this area,” Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz told CFJC Today. “What only people see is the past shelter — how badly it was run, how badly everything went wrong with it, the issues that came out of it. Most shelters have five-to-10 calls a year. [The old one] had 186. That concerns people.”

The new shelter is along a main road in Merritt, with Diamondvale Elementary School only a few blocks away. Mayor Goetz had asked for BC Housing or the minister to attend a recent community meeting, but that was denied, citing safety concerns for staff.

“People were just looking for some affirmation that they were going to be safe. What are you going to do to this site? They are talking a fence, they are talking security, they are talking all of this stuff, but it’s what we see on a piece of paper. It would be nice to hear it from their actual voices when they want to say something. We need them here to address this community. To say you can’t come is an absolute cowardly way out,” said Goetz.

Cindy Simpson grew up in Merritt and still returns to visit her mother in her childhood home. She’s concerned about the location of the shelter and the safety of her mom.

“Her home is now in jeopardy. Her life is going to be in jeopardy because with all these people now being at Knight’s Inn, it’s going to already destroy that area even more. The area is already being broken into, homes are being broken into, vehicles are being broken into on a daily basis,” Simpson told CFJC News.

Both the housing minster, Ravi Kahlon, and the Nicola Valley Shelter Society did not provide comment for CFJC‘s story.

BC Housing did provide a written statement saying the government has heard the concerns from neighbours and are working to alleviate them.

“We have heard concerns in the community. Letters of the new housing spaces were hand-delivered by the operator to neighbouring community last week. We will be working with the operator to understand neighbourhood integration and will be available to neighbours to hear concerns and feedback,” wrote BC Housing. “The Ministry of Housing and BC Housing understand the urgency in providing shelter spaces across the province ahead of the upcoming winter season. This is especially vital in communities without a shelter, such as the City of Merritt. While shelters provide immediate relief to people experiencing homelessness, they are not a long-term solution to homelessness.”

The shelter is expected to open sometime next month with the lease running until March of 2027.

“All the people who will be here will be registered. There will be security here, there will be a curfew here, there will be a ‘no go’ [zone and a] ‘go’ zone in the community that they are allowed to be in. And I think as long as that is followed… We are forming a group to ensure that BC Housing stays to the tasks. The minute they don’t, we will be on them to make sure they are back on track,” said Goetz.

Sensing the anger in his community, Goetz had a message for those seeking to take matters into their own hands.

“As far as vigilantism, it’s talked about, but I’m really encouraging that nobody goes down that route. It’s not going to do anybody any good,” said Goetz. “Especially if you are a family person, why would you give up everything you have worked for for two or three minutes of a bad decision?”

by Michael Reeve

Amid opposition, new homeless shelter takes root in Merritt

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