West Victoria day space for homeless population to return this April

KAMLOOPS – The Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society and the Mustard Seed will once again operate a day space across from City Hall on West Victoria Street this April.

Though some community members have voiced safety concerns related to the area with the day space returning, the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society believes the day space will provide a constructive outlet for people experiencing homelessness.

“People who are homeless – they need something to do. Rather than just congregate, we invite them to work with us,” Executive Director of the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society Cal Albright told CFJC Today. “We’ll have whatever they want to work on. We’ll try and just do some positive recreation.”

This week, Kamloops councillors voted unanimously in favour of the two non-profits temporarily hosting the city’s homeless population from April 1 until the end of October.

In the day space, people can access meals and support during daytime hours.

Before approving the permit, the council discussed possible improvements to the site, which would provide additional cooling during the summer and reduce the impact on the street frontage.

“It looks like we are going to get an improved tent, with maybe a little bit more privacy,” Albright said. “I don’t even know what that means, so we are going to get together and discuss all those things.”