Fact check: What to know about Kamloops’ new transitional housing project on McGill Road

This January, BC Housing announced the start of construction on a new temporary housing project in the heart of Kamloops’ industrial neighbourhood. Designed to bridge the gaps between emergency shelters and permanent housing, the development is funded through an $8-million provincial grant under the Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) programs. 

Administered by BC Housing, the programs support the creation and operation of emergency housing across the province, with this site to be operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Kamloops. 

While the project aims to address urgent housing needs, it has also sparked debate, with some business owners concerned about what it will mean for them.

Business owners voice their concerns

Robb Lewis has been the owner of Signature Signs and Printing since 2017. His business used to be located at 431 Victoria St W. but he decided to move to McGill Road in April 2025, citing safety concerns at his downtown location. The move proved positive for his company, and he says he had new clientele and felt safer.  

“Now we find out that they’re putting this housing project a couple blocks away from us,” he says. “I was extremely disappointed to see that was going up, especially where it is.”

This section of McGill Road is mainly industrial, with businesses that range from roofing and distillery to laboratory offices. 

The CMHA Kamloops and BC Housing websites state letters were given to neighbours with the project details, along with a website with more information, but Lewis says he was never consulted or informed. 

“Nobody ever came by…with any pamphlets or anything like that,” he says. “What they’ve said and what they’ve done is a completely different thing.”

He learned of the project through conversations with other folks in the area. 

“I know numerous businesses in that location that are just going to close,” as a result of the development Lewis says. The Wren spoke with two other businesses in the area, however they would not speak on the record about their own concerns due to fear their experiences would affect their businesses.  

They voiced their worry and safety concerns, noting that the area is not monitored after hours. 

“[People] don’t see the frustration of being at home with a young family, and you get a phone call at 4 a.m. from your alarm company because somebody smashed your window,” Lewis says. 

“Stop having these types of things around businesses,” he pleaded.

When The Wren brought these concerns to CMHA Kamloops, Brett Mineer, the manager of communications and engagement added several businesses did express their opposition to the project. 

“For the most part, the fears expressed were centred around the incorrect assumption that this would be a low-barrier shelter like Merit Place.” 

Merit Place is one of the lowest barrier shelters in the city which means it helps those who might have been turned away by other shelters for various reasons. This development however, is not similar to Merit Place with key differences, such as no drop-in services. 

After hearing these concerns through a community open house Oct. 6, 2025, Mineer says businesses were reassured this development is not a low-barrier shelter and tenants accepted there will have to meet behaviour standards.

“We also reiterated the site would be fenced, gated and monitored by CCTV,” he adds. “There will be no drop-ins from folks who are not there as invited guests.”

Transportation will also be provided to tenants who access services or programming off-site, limiting folks navigating the area on foot. After adding this information he says most folks that brought up those concerns understood more about the project. 

“You can never please 100 per cent of people 100 per cent of the time, and there are those on Facebook and social media who have voiced opposition. However, I would argue they appear to have an outsized voice that is not representative of their actual numbers.” 

Clarifying the purpose of the development

While the city has shelters, one aspect of support lacking is transitional housing, or housing that provides a space for folks in between emergency shelters and permanent housing. 

This type of housing is still temporary, ranging from a couple of months to a year, but residents sign a lease agreement and pay rent covering the costs of food and operation. 

Other concerns from residents include questions around the facility’s rules and regulations – primarily drug use on the premises.

In a FAQ article CMHA states this is not a substance-use recovery facility.

However, “we will not deny this housing to people who may use substances,” the FAQ clarifies. “If a resident chooses to use substances onsite, CMHA Kamloops would engage residents with compassion and follow a harm reduction approach.” 

This inclusion has sparked criticism from some, with one resident sharing “if real help was the goal, we would be bringing recovery beds into this community — not creating more capacity for ongoing drug use and drawing in people from outside Kamloops.”

It’s important to note recovery does not look the same from person-to-person and is a unique experience Mineer says. 

“For most people with use disorders, the picture is complicated,” he says. “For those with long-term, entrenched substance use disorders, abstinence is medically unsafe without undergoing medically supervised detox.”

While the facility will not disqualify residents based on substance use, to be eligible, clients “must be willing to engage in case planning and work towards long-term housing & health goals,” according to an informational poster.

The tenants of this new project will be accepted based on a Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT), a “structured way of measuring a person’s vulnerability to continued instability,” the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness states.

This tool is used by case and support workers in various organizations in Canada and Kamloops. 

“BC Housing has set specific criteria in terms of demographics and the required scoring on the VAT, for things like social behaviour and substance use,” Mineer says.

Individuals with lower VAT scores will be considered for tenancy in this project. The lower the VAT score the better. Graded from zero to three if someone scores over two on social behaviour and a three on substance use they won’t be able to access those services. 

“Referrals will come from shelters, with an individuals’ suitability and compatibility for tenancy determined after receiving a VAT assessment,” Mineer adds. 

The space promises to provide support to clients by having case workers available but also other resources to assist in their recovery. BC Housing will also have an office there to help clients during the daytime hours.

Why is it needed?

Kamloops has seen an increase in homelessness over the past decade, with the most recent Point-in-Time count showing 313 people experiencing homelessness. With transitional housing lacking in Kamloops, often the shelters in town are at capacity, Mineer adds.

“[Folks] may not have mental health or addictions issues, but they’re stuck in shelter because they can’t get into market housing or any supportive housing,” Mineer says. “You end up with people who you know are kind of warehoused in shelter. They could be moving on.”

This contributes to shelters being at or over capacity, limiting the number of people who can seek help there. 

“You end up having to turn more people away who are trying to come in from the cold and whatnot, because every night your beds are full [and] you got people occupying them who probably don’t necessarily need to be occupying them if we had options for them,” Mineer says.

Additionally, while many who are unhoused can use these shelters, they lack a continuum of care Mineer says is vital. This can include recovery resources, life-skills support and employment training.

This project is set to offer wellness checks, health-care referrals, overdose prevention, harm reduction services, social services, life-skills and employment training. 

How did the project come to be?

In March 2025, the Ministry of Housing announced there was funding through their programs. “These homes are part of a $19 billion housing investment by the B.C. government,” BC Housing stated.  

The project is being funded through a provincial grant of approximately $8 million. The grant belongs to the Belonging in BC Homelessness Plan: HEART and HEARTH.

The city owns the land which is being leased to BC Housing for three years. After those three years pass both parties can agree to extend its operations. 

“We kind of came to [BC Housing] with a vision that sort of matched what they were looking for. They were looking for supportive transition housing,” Mineer says. “We really like it when we have the opportunity to kind of build something from the ground up.” 

After the proposal submission CMHA Kamloops was successful in getting a contract to be the operator of the project which was announced in September 2025. 

This construction is going to be modular which will allow it to be built fast, Mineer clarifies. 

Construction has officially started with the goal to be operational by early summer. 

Folks will have to be buzzed in to enter the building. The project includes 54 beds, 24/7 onsite staffing, gated access, security access, a central kitchen, shared washrooms, laundry facilities and common dining.

There will be more updates to come as the project is being developed and constructed. 

Beyond the building’s physical features and security measures organizers hope to reassure business owners, Mineer says the heart of the project lies in the support it will provide to residents as they work toward stability and independence.

“[When] people come from shelter, they have goals that are identified that they want to achieve. As long as they’re continuing to work towards those goals, it’s recovery oriented.”