North Shore stakeholders meet to talk bridging service gap created by The Loop’s eviction

KAMLOOPS – With The Loop’s eviction looming, North Shore access to warm meals and a day space for the homeless community may be threatened.

On Thursday morning (Apr. 25), concerned community members and service providers gathered at The Loop’s space in the 400-block of Tranquille Road to discuss bridging the potential gaps of service resulting from The Loop’s closure.

“We had some really great conversations, some great ideas. We put together what we think the priorities are for the people that connect to The Loop moving forward,” said Bonnie McBride, North Shore business owner and meeting organizer. “I love the fact that we had people with lived experience who are accessing The Loop in the conversation with us today. We don’t want to do things about people without them, so this was a great format.”

After establishing The Loop’s importance as a North Shore hub, food security for the homeless population was cited as the biggest impact The Loop provides.

“We can’t expect people to go without eating. Literally, I mean, I think that’s the bottom line there,” said Glenn Hilke, The Loop’s operator. “Public health — we can’t expect them to go without eating or staying hydrated. While we just continue to have hope and vision and thoughts and prayers for this community. We’ve got to make sure that, from one day to the next day, there are adequate services for people.”

Hilke says meetings like Thursday’s will continue until a solution is found.

He says the next steps for the group will be creating a Facebook page and getting in touch with other service providers to itemize available services.