Emerald House on West Victoria Street. (CFJC Today File Photo)

By Victor Kaisar

Extreme Weather Shelter

CMHA Kamloops working on plan to keep extreme weather beds operational until spring

Jan 27, 2025 | 10:39 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is working on a plan to keep the 35 extreme weather beds it operates in Kamloops open until the spring of this year.

CMHA Kamloops Executive Director Alfred Achoba says while these beds were initially meant to be a temporary measure until the North Shore Access Hub came online, they’ve been at between 60 to 90 per cent occupancy so far this winter.

“We’re in discussions with partners and with BC Housing,” Achoba told CFJC Today. “If there is a need to keep those beds running, we’re committed to that. We do have capacity to run this throughout the cold season.”

“When we went into these extreme weather beds, we were still in the early stages of the Access Hub.”

These beds – 15 at the Merit Place Shelter in Sahali, and 10 each at the Emerald Centre and Rosethorn House on West Victoria Street – replaced the previous extreme weather shelter at the Alliance Church which operated in 2022 and 2023.

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The 44-bed North Shore Access Hub at 142 Tranquille Road, which will be operated by the ASK Wellness Society, is opening its doors Monday, Jan. 27. Achoba said that facility will help fill a need for shelter space in north Kamloops.

“It’s important to separate the two – the Access Hub and the extreme weather beds – because we have individuals who want to stay on the North Shore who would not accept extreme weather beds anywhere in town,” Achoba added.. “This access hub shelter will fill that gap.”

“We also have individuals who would prefer having extreme weather beds because there is no need to stay in a shelter 24/7. They can only access the beds when they need to.”

At this time its not clear when a decision on the fate of the extreme weather beds will be made. Achoba said if the extension is granted, those 35 beds will continue to operate when the city’s Cold Weather Response threshold is met.

“If we need the bed, we would activate it. If we don’t need the beds, we won’t activate it,” Achoba added. “It’s not like there is ongoing funding just to keep the beds running and its not being used. These beds are only used when the need arises.”

He also told CFJC Today that these extreme weather beds are activated after every other shelter bed in Kamloops is occupied.

“BC Housing covers the costs associated with extreme weather beds and so we’re paid on a nightly basis based on when we activate,” Achoba said. “Based on how long we activate for, and the number of clients we intake, we get paid that way.”

As of this year, the cold weather threshold kicks in when the temperatures are forecast to be -5 C or lower within a 24-hour period instead of -10 C. It also kicks in if temperatures fall to 0 C, if a weather warning has been issued by Environment Canada.