By James Peters

New Life sees changing face of poverty in Kamloops

Aug 24, 2016 | 5:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Executive Director of New Life Community Kamloops says the face of poverty is definitely changing in the city.

Stan Dueck says more and more people coming through the agency’s doors have serious drug problems.

“When I talk to people who have been around for a long time, I think early on we dealt with a lot of alcoholism, poverty, homelessness. Today we see a whole lot of addiction to drugs, hard drugs,” explained Dueck.

Dueck says some of those clients can exhibit behavioral problems, and that has led to more calls to Car 40 and other local agencies for help.

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“We try to keep it a very calm, very peaceful, very giving room. It is more difficult with the clientele that we are seeing over the last couple of years.”

He also notes donations have been slow to come in this summer.

“The need just never goes away. No question, we use to have slower periods, and right now it’s busy, just day after day busy.”

Dueck says revenue is about 50 per cent of expectations for the summer so far, and asks Kamloops residents to keep New Life in mind as they return to their normal routines come fall.