The City of Kamloops, like many communities across Canada, has been impacted by complex social issues including increased homelessness, a lack of available and affordable housing, and the toxic drug supply crisis.

While housing, child care, health and social services fall under the jurisdiction of senior government, the City continues to work in collaboration with community partners to urgently respond to the social and health crises and community safety concerns affecting our community. Council also continues to advocate to the Provincial and Federal governments for the housing, health, and social services our community needs and for additional supports and resources for protective and emergency service providers to support a safe and secure community.

This summary outlines some of the efforts and actions taken by the City and community partners in the past two years:

• The City and Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) signed a service agreement that will see a Community Services Officer support the TNRD North Kamloops Library staff in creating a safe space for all patrons.
• In November 2022, the City, in partnership with the ASK Wellness Society and the Canadian Mental Health Association Kamloops, initiated the Community Services Officer Outreach and Response Program, which pairs a CSO and an outreach worker to provide 16 hours per day, 7 days per week of outreach and support services for unsheltered individuals.
• The City and North Shore Business Improvement Association administer the Clean Team supportive employment program in partnership with The Mustard Seed, Canadian Mental Health Association, and ASK Wellness. This program employs people with lived or living experience in cleaning up refuse, garbage, cardboard boxes, shopping carts, and substance use paraphernalia, and assisting with graffiti removal.
• The City of Kamloops is one of the federal government’s Building Safer Communities Fund recipients announced in March 2023. The objective of the Building Safer Communities Fund is to support municipal efforts to address gun and gang occurrences.
• In June 2023, over 50 individuals from the four Safe and Secure Kamloops engagement groups came together for the Safe and Secure Kamloops Network Meeting. The meeting helped to identify opportunities and actions to address community safety issues and areas where advocacy to other levels of government for support and assistance is needed.
• In Spring 2023, the Point-in-Time Count indicated at least 312 individuals experiencing homelessness in Kamloops. Between 2021 and 2023, there has been a 51% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Kamloops.
• Council and staff continue to advocate to the Provincial government for increased health and wraparound services in shelters and social housing sites. Interior Health has initiated a monthly planning table to support better integration of health services with shelter and social housing sites.
• City staff continue to administer the federal Reaching Home program under the direction of the Community Advisory Board. The 2019-2024 funding agreement has provided $5.14 million over the five-year period to support programs and services focused on preventing and reducing homelessness.
• The City hosts the Kamloops Access Hub Leadership Committee, formed in fall 2023,which includes representatives from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, shelter and social housing operators, the business improvement associations, and government agencies. The vision for the access hub is a 24/7 location where unhoused individuals can access shelter, meals, hygienic facilities, culturally safe social and health services, amenity space, and connections to housing, supportive employment, and wellness opportunities.
• A Council-authorized and City-funded business case for a sobering and assessment centre in Kamloops was drafted and submitted in 2023 to the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions for consideration. Sobering and assessment centres offer short-term (under 24 hour) shelter, medical supervision, and assessment in a safe and supportive environment for individuals under the influence of, or in withdrawal from, alcohol and/or other substances.
• Council has approved five new RCMP officers annually until 2027.
• Preparatory work has begun on the creation of a ten-year Kamloops Fire Rescue strategic plan to ensure emergency response keeps pace with community growth.
• Employee retention strategies have shown success in maintaining Community Service Officer staffing levels to be able to conduct joint patrols, community outreach, and a 24/7 presence. It is anticipated that by the second quarter of 2024, staff levels will be conducive to providing 24/7 Community Service Officer coverage.
• Crime Prevention staff continue to engage with care homes and are revamping informational material focused on vulnerable seniors.
• Council and staff continue to advocate to the Province for Peace Officer status for Community Services Officers. There is continued engagement with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
• Council has approved dedicated funding for the Community Service Officer Outreach Response Program and the Clean Team to ensure ongoing service delivery over the next four years following their successful grant-funded implementation.
• The Crime Prevention teams continue to expand the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design property review program and corresponding educational resources for residential properties.
• The City is reviewing the existing Block Watch program to develop updated statistic-driven material to encourage the formation of new Block Watch groups in neighbourhoods with increased crime statistics.
• Council authorized the use of a City-owned site at 48 Victoria Street West between April and October in 2022 and again in 2023 to provide daytime space for unhoused individuals to go and access services. The day space was operated by The Mustard Seed and Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society through the federal Reaching Home program.
• Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society continued to operate Cllémentem, a year-round service that includes bins for unhoused individuals to securely store their belongings, shower facilities, laundry, and referrals to health, housing, and social supports and services.
• Monthly and year-to-date social program results reports for the Community Service Officer Outreach Response Program, the Clean Team, The Gathering Place day space, the Cllémentem mini-storage, the Envision Outreach Shuttle, and the shelter system are posted on the Safe and Secure webpage at LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/SafeSecure to provide more transparency into social programs in the community.
• The City continues to convene a Cold Weather Response Table in advance of cold weather events. Coordinated and collaborative efforts amongst community partners remain top of mind during extreme weather to ensure that services, supports, and cold weather supplies are available to unhoused individuals.
• City staff continue to meet frequently with BC Housing in alignment with a memorandum of understanding established in April 2022 to support the planning, development, operations, and communications for future shelter, social housing, and affordable housing sites.
• City staff continue to host the Kamloops Recovery Engagement and Bed Utilization Committee with local treatment and recovery operators and Interior Health to improve access to treatment facilities and supportive recovery housing for individuals struggling with substance use disorder.
• City staff hosted successful outreach networking workshops in June 2023 and February 2024. These events were attended by dozens of outreach and support workers across the community and provided an opportunity for these workers to build connections and share information and resources with one another.
• The Kamloops Community Land Trust Foundation was established in July 2023 and is now recruiting community members to join the Board of Directors in April 2024.
• City staff continue to work with non-profit operators to support applications to BC Housing’s Community Housing Fund, Indigenous Housing Fund, and Women's Transition Housing Fund, which will provide social and affordable housing for seniors and families, Indigenous peoples, and women in need of housing with supports.

Council approved over $200,000 in Social and Community Development Grants in 2023 and 2024 to support community programs and services that address current social concerns in Kamloops in alignment with the Council Strategic Plan and Kamloops Social Plan.

In addition to the actions outline above, Council has been clearly and strongly advocating for Kamloops to other organizations and levels of government. Some notable actions taken since Council’s inauguration include:

• At the 2023 Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention, Council discussed the potential of a community court and mental health court for Kamloops and the concept of a different model for community justice and courts, including what is working well, with the Indigenous Justice Council.
• Council authorized sending a letter to the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to request analytics regarding individuals travelling to Kamloops to access services. They received a response earlier this year outlining data that shows the increase in homeless residents in Kamloops is not due to unhoused individuals coming to Kamloops, but from our own community members falling into homelessness at an increasing rate.
• Council authorized sending a letter of support for the City of Prince George’s June 29, 2023, Union of British Columbia Municipalities resolution regarding reimbursement to local governments for medical services provided by local government fire and rescue services to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.
• In 2023, Council authorized funding up to $30,000 for the research, engagement, costing, and writing required to develop an updated business case for a sobering and assessment centre for submission to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. The updated business case was submitted to the Province for consideration in December 2023.
• Council continues to advocate for Kamloops to receive one of the 12 purpose-built complex care housing locations announced by the Province in Belonging in BC, the provincial homelessness strategy.
• In December 2023, Council and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc sent a joint advocacy letter requesting additional shelter and rapid response housing beds supported by coordinated outreach teams funded through the Ministry of Housing's Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) programs.
• At the UBCM Housing Summit on February 13–14, 2024, Council met with Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon and senior leadership from BC Housing to advocate for Kamloops’ housing needs.

The City of Kamloops recognizes that persistent concerted efforts need to be made to continue to address evolving community concerns. Ongoing collaboration with community partners is essential to reduce duplication of efforts and ensure resources are aligned with community needs. City Council is unified in their dedication to a safe, vibrant, and resilient community and continues to advocate for action from other levels of government to support Kamloops.