Cranbrook’s homelessness task force will reconvene in September for a couple of wrap-up meetings.
The task force was originally supposed to last for six months and was going to be decommissioned on July 18.
The committee decided to pause for the summer and finish up work in September.
The task force has been advocating for a temporary outdoor living space to be set up near Moir Park.
That role will be passed off to local service providers to continue the work.
Mayor Wayne Price said having a temporary outdoor living space there would allow for some basic necessities to be set up.
“Right now I think it’s a good option up there,” he said.
“We’re talking about potable water, maybe some showers and an outhouse. The ones who have been taking the action on that is not the city. It is the non-profits and provincial agencies.”
The city’s camping bylaw isn’t being enforced the same in that area, which Price said helps keep people away from the downtown and main street.
“People want us to enforce our bylaw up there, set up the tents, break them down and set them up again,” he said.
“What’s going to happen is they are going to leave that area and be back down on the berm and we’re going to have the same problem we had with businesses and some of those businesses were close to closing their doors.”
The Regional District of East Kootenay recently approved $10,000 to help set up the temporary outdoor living space and the province has given grant funding.
“The provincial funding that came in is going to the various agencies and this $10,000 from the RDEK will probably be distributed to the non-profits,” Price added.
The temporary outdoor living space will still need to be approved by city council at a future meeting.
Something going on in your part of the Kootenays you think people should know about? Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
