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Kamloops Homeless

Kamloops plan to help youth homeless goes national

KAMLOOPS - Several agencies in town do their best to help curb homelessness in Kamloops, but one is being recognized nationally for assisting homeless youth. Katherine McParland, youth homelessness manager with Interior Community Services, has joined forces with 15 agencies in town to help teens who are homeless or could be soon. McParland and other...

Purses for homeless women in Kamloops full of necessities for life on the street

KAMLOOPS – A local resident will be singing carols and handing out purses to homeless women in an attempt to bring both Christmas cheer and helpful supplies. Kim Coltman, a part-time employee at Headhunters Hair Salon, says she got the idea from social media. She read about a program which handed out purses full of...

Temporary lifting of extreme weather response at Kamloops’ shelter

KAMLOOPS – The extreme weather alert issued last week, which had the shelter in the Kamloops pulling out all the stops to house homeless people due to the cold weather, has been temporarily cancelled. Canadian Mental Health Association executive director Christa Mullaly says she realizes with the winter storm in the forecast she will likely...

Winter in Kamloops makes life harder for the homeless: ASK Wellness

KAMLOOPS – Winter is coming. While we groan a little, pull out the hats and scarves and put winter tires on the car, the homeless population in Kamloops faces considerably more challenges. “Our bylaw says you can set up a tent at 10 o’clock at night and then you need to take it down by...

Downtown homeless camp disassembled, belongings removed

'THIS IS MORE EXTREME THAN SOME OF THE ONES WE DEAL WITH' KAMLOOPS – As bylaw officers and contractors descended on a homeless camp in downtown Kamloops and began removing truckloads of their belongings today, Nov. 10, seven people dressed in dirty winter clothes walked out with all the bags and bedding they could carry....

Homeless Count: The unseen residents of Kamloops

KAMLOOPS – Every year a group of volunteers brave the fall cold, wake up at the crack of dawn and ply themselves with hot coffee to conduct the city’s homeless count. They walk the back alleys, they search under bridges and they scour the beaches to hand out backpacks full of supplies and count the...

Kamloops New Life Mission expects busy winter, extends opening hours

KAMLOOPS - Since the season changed, so have the temperatures, but for the New Life Mission in Kamloops it’s still business as usual. Stan Dueck, the centre’s executive director says the effort to help out the homeless has increased since the centre’s hours were extended to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week....

Volunteers needed for Kamloops homeless count

KAMLOOPS - Volunteers are needed to help identify the homeless population in Kamloops. The homeless count is used to collect statistics on the homeless population to use to lobby the government for funding and to educate the public on their existence. “We take one day snap shot of how many homeless people we can find in...

Homeless camps appearing on trails after winter months

KAMLOOPS – As the warmer weather approaches, Kamloops residents and the city’s bylaw department are facing an increase in homeless camps erected near parks and trail paths. Kathie McCauley says for the last two months she’s encountered garbage from a camp on the trail she walks regularly by the riverfront in Valleyview. Recently, she’s seen...

Solution needed to costly transient camp issue in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS – Calls to bylaws about homeless camps have more than doubled since 2013 and the issue has become a sore spot for an Ask Wellness staff member who says the process and costs of camp teardown is flawed. “The way we handle homeless camps I think is absolutely ridiculous and it probably costs the...