Mini-storage facility for the homeless set to open in Kamloops

A mini-storage program for the city’s homeless is opening in downtown Kamloops on April 9.

The facility is located at 48 Victoria St. West and will be operate four hours a day, seven days a week with a minimum of two staff working at all times, according to a press release from the City of Kamloops.

The city partnered with the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society to operate the facility and develop the operation model. The organization will work on site and be able to provide “culturally-appropriate supports for the large contingent of homeless people who identify as Indigenous.”

“For people who are homeless, a storage facility can be the first step to getting off of the streets,” social and community development supervisor Jen Casorso said in the release.

“Being able to store their belongings assists homeless people with stabilizing their lives, restoring trust, building relationships, connecting with services, attending training and interviews, and even going to work.”

The program was modeled partly on the First United Church storage program in Vancouver. Casorso said it was developed with input from the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society, the First United Church in Vancouver, Bylaw Services, the RCMP, Kamloops Fire Rescue and “people with lived experience of homelessness.”

There will be no cost for storing belongings at the facility, but participants will be required to check in every two to three days, either in person or by phone. They will not be permitted to store food, firearms, drugs or hazardous materials at the facility. Carts will also not be stored.

The project received federal funding through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.