22 more beds added to Kamloops, B.C., homeless shelter still not enough

The Stuart Wood temporary homeless shelter in Kamloops, B.C., has opened upextra spacefor more beds, but a shelter spokesperson says it still won't be enough for those who need a warm place to sleep.

Since the shelter opened on Nov. 1, 2017, people have steadily been turned away.

"We have seen an incredible amount of people come to the shelter. More than we ever anticipated," said Christa Mullaly, who oversees the shelter. She said the numbers show there are more than 200 people in the city in need of shelter beds.

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Visitors are able to go to the shelterand have something to eat, chat with staff andstay warm overnight. But with only 52 beds, some of them don't get thechance tosleep there.

The annex, an outbuilding on the property, has had22 more beds added.

In addition, Mullaly said there are a lot of people who aren't able to get to the shelter because of weather conditions.

"There is still a number of individuals that just can't make the trek to the shelter," she said.

• Kamloops man using family minivan to transport people to homeless shelter

Since snow arrived in Kamloops in mid-December, it's been difficult for people to travel across the city to get to Stuart Wood.

"People are spending the night on the North Shore on the streets, in alleyways, doorways," Mullaly said. "People are really just hunkering down to stay warm rather than coming across the bridge to come stay with us."