Kamloops praised for homelessness approach at national convention: councillor

A Kamloops city councillor heard praise from leaders across the country for the city's efforts toward homelessness. Kamloops is far from alone in its rising homeless population and councillor Nancy Bepple said it's one of four universal concerns she heard from municipal leaders this week. "I had a councillor from Halifax specifically who came up to me and told me how much they admired what Kamloops is doing," Bepple said. "I listened to how other communities were struggling with issues and I saw how we've framed them and dealt with them." She spoke to iNFOnews.ca from Ottawa on Dec. 6 after representing Kamloops at a Federation of Canadian Municipalities convention this week, where municipal politicians from across the country converged to lobby federal leaders. Although the City of Kamloops has taken on several initiatives to grapple with homelessness and social issues, it was the approach to encampments in particular that caught the attention, Bepple said. READ MORE: Kamloops city councillor's secret recording scandal far from over https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-city-councillors-secret-recording-scandal-far-from-over/it107373 "Some have taken an approach of having a massive shelter space, which has a very large impact," she said. "Kamloops has a very deliberate approach of having smaller shelters in a number of places in the city, which others thought is a good approach." Though the efforts in Kamloops to address homelessness aren't without criticism, even among the non-profit sector, Bepple said the decentralized approach is seen as a safer alternative to large encampments. Designated and centralized sites aren't uncommon in BC, like Kelowna's rail trail camp https://infotel.ca/newsitem/just-normal-people-like-everybody-else-the-reality-of-homelessness-in-kelownas-tent-city/it103194  in the north end of downtown which is an expanding encampment that's managed by city officials and funnels in most of its unsheltered population. Other Canadian cities, Bepple said, have chosen to use civic facilities like hockey rinks but had difficulty bringing ice back for sports. Kamloops, though not without a push, returned its rinks to their regular use by finding new shelter spaces. READ MORE: Prosecutors double-down, no criminal charges in fatal Kamloops crash https://infotel.ca/newsitem/prosecutors-double-down-no-criminal-charges-in-fatal-kamloops-crash/it107406 As for encampments, the decentralized approach in Kamloops has been used for years. Since a court ruling found local governments must allow temporary camps if shelters aren't available, the local policy came to allow most public riverbank spaces for temporary camps. Though they're not without issue, like fires and damage to the riverbanks https://infotel.ca/newsitem/dfo-worried-about-fish-habitat-as-kamloops-plans-to-remove-entrenched-camps/it106603 , Bepple said it's generally safer than a single crowded space. "I think one of the things that was hopeful to me when I talked to colleagues from across the country was that, bit by bit, Kamloops' approach to serving people that are unhoused, to finding solutions for homelessness is going in a positive direction. Other communities across the country are noticing what we're doing and thinking that we've taken the right approach," Bepple said. The City's bylaw department keeps tabs on encampments around the city and attempts to regulate them https://infotel.ca/newsitem/city-begins-tracking-kamloops-homeless-camps-after-out-of-control-grass-fire/it97928 . Though the local policy says encampments have to be taken down every morning, that doesn't happen. City officials do try, however, to keep them from growing too large or entrenched. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .