
Merritt’s new shelter providing both temporary and transitional housing
KAMLOOPS — The city of Merritt lost its previous shelter in August of last year. For the months that followed, some of the 67 reported homeless people in the city were put into temporary housing, while others remained in tents, camped out in a local park.
A warm bed and a place to call home for Merritt’s most vulnerable population, as the Nicola Valley Shelter Society (NVSS) has opened a new 41-bed shelter at the Knight’s Inn motel, importantly no longer located above access to alcoholic vices.
“That’s our main goal here is to get people into recovery and get them healthy. We were never going to be able to do that on top of a bar with a cold beer and wine store at the bottom, as well,” said program coordinator for NVSS, John Warren. “That is kind of why we have put some of the measures that we have here. It’s going really, really well. I’m really excited and I’m really happy for it.”