The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) has earmarked $10,000 to help set up a proposed shared outdoor living space in Cranbrook.
The Mayor’s Taskforce on Homelessness, Community Safety and Wellbeing is spearheading the initiative.
“We have the problem in Cranbrook, but it is really a regional issue,” said Mayor Wayne Price.
“People are coming here to access social services, whether it’s mental health, drug addiction or whatever else. Those types of social services are just not available on the same scale in smaller communities, so they come to Cranbrook.”
Price said the encampment will be an open site near Moir Park with washrooms, showers, clean drinking water, a dumpster and a place to set up a tent.
“One of the benefits of having unhoused people in one location is getting them access to daily services. When you’re dealing with mental health issues and whatnot, and they’re not getting their daily care, it could highly impact the community,” said Price.
“These people are not getting the actual care to the full level they need, but I commend our local agencies and services. They’re doing the best they can with what they have. They’re under-resourced and underfunded to take on a job of this scope, yet they’re out there every day.”
The entire project is estimated to cost about $80,000.
“We know these residents are coming in from throughout our region. We know there are people from the Elk Valley and Columbia Valley because the services are in Cranbrook,” said RDEK Board Chair Rob Gay.
“We also see it as a regional issue and to that end, we contributed another $85,000 earlier this year to help hire the Social Development Coordinator, who is helping to put this program together.”
Price said providing some resources to unhoused residents is the right thing to do.
“They have a human right to shelter, to have a place to go to the bathroom and they have a human right to potable water, especially with the heat we’re having. That’s all we’re trying to do up there,” said Price. “I would think that’s the responsible and humane thing to do.”
City council approval for the outdoor living space will likely come at a future meeting.
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