Cold temperatures straining Kamloops homeless shelters

Colder weather is straining boththecost of and the demandfor services at some Kamloopsshelters.

The city'shomelesshave struggled to findsomewhere warm to sleep amid an ongoing cold snap that's seen temperatures sinkbelow zero for several days.

No where to cut back

Both New Life CommunityKamloopsand the Emerald Centre have been full to capacity. The sheltershave even had to extend their services to make sure no one gets turned away.

"We've been busy, full every single night without a doubt and we expect that to continue," said New Life CommunityKamloopsexecutive director StanDueck.

The influx of usersmeans the costto run the shelter hasalso gone up. There'smore demand for simple things like coffee and socks.

"We really have nowhere that we can cut back," he said.

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This is something Christa Mullaly has seen as well. In her role as the executive director of the Kamloops branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, she oversees the Emerald Centre.

Since Nov.1, the centre has been offering 40 beds to people looking for shelter spaces.

More people accessing Kamloops shelter beds

Now, with the extended cold snap, Mullaly says she's starting to see people show up at the shelter she's never seen before.

"The novelty of that first little bit of cold has worn off and people are truly cold and they're truly at risk being outside in this weather," she said.

"Folks who have tried to tough it out outside ... have now decided this has been too cold for too long."

Cold weather to continue next week

Right now, there seems to be no end to the increased demand.

"We keep looking towards what's it going to be next week and it's still cold," said Mullaly.

She says the Emerald Centre won't turn away anyone looking for a safe, warm place to stay.

According to Environment Canada, the weather will stay below zero into the weekend and may even drop again later in the week.

With files from Daybreak Kamloops

To hear the full audio story, click the link:Cold temperatures causes strain on Kamloops shelter