Kamloops to consider pairing outreach workers with bylaw officers
City staff are proposing to pair outreach workers with community service officers in an effort to connect people who are homeless in Kamloops with existing services. If it gets grant funding, the City intends to contract outreach workers to join community service officers — what...
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City staff are proposing to pair outreach workers with community service officers in an effort to connect people who are homeless in Kamloops with existing services.
If it gets grant funding, the City intends to contract outreach workers to join community service officers — what the City of Kamloops calls its bylaw officers — on foot and bike patrols.
If the grant funding is approved, the project would see the pairs on street patrols seven days a week for 16 hours per day, which would cost roughly $468,000.
City staff is set to present a report at the next council meeting on April 12, which is part of a potential $1.5 million grant application for homeless services.
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Staff suggested in the report that the community service officers on outreach patrols would not be uniformed as bylaw officers. Instead, they would wear plain clothes to avoid intimidating or threatening the vulnerable people they are trying to help.
The other proposals include continuing to fund the Envision shuttle service, operated by Canadian Mental Health Association and ASK Wellness, along with the Victoria Street West and Tranquille Corridor private security services.
There are a total of six projects proposed in the report. Another is a $35,000 video project to interview people who are homeless or are drug users to tell their stories. The most expensive item in the report is security services, which is budgeted for $720,000.
The same Strengthening Communities grant was awarded to the City last year through the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
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$1.47 million was allocated to train community service officers in working with people who are homeless and who may struggle with mental health issues or substance abuse. Another portion was used to pay for security services the City contracts for urban areas.
Council will discuss the 2022 grant application and suggested projects at the Tuesday council meeting.
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