LiftUp Kamloops

December 5, 2022 / 0 Comments

Let’s Chat About Homelessness in Kamloops

Over the past five years, we have seen a dramatic increase of people within the community struggling with both addiction and homelessness. Looking at the statistics, a few questions come to mind. What resources are currently in place to assist people who are struggling? Why are numbers increasing so dramatically? Are the resources in place actually good enough to help people?

“Homelessness is not a choice, but rather a journey that many find themselves in.”

– asa don brown

This week we had the wonderful opportunity to chat with a few people. Shirley, who has worked in healthcare for 34 years as well as being an addictions support worker for 16 years, has shared her perspective on resources available in Kamloops. Heather, a local librarian, has shed some light on the affect this crisis has had on public libraries, as well as different things that they have in place to help. We also had the opportunity to talk with a lovely community member, who is currently experiencing this crisis, about how the people struggling feel with current resources available within the city.


“It takes a society to combat homelessness, and a strong nation to fight poverty.”

– Wayne Chirisa

November 21, 2022 / 0 Comments

Public Health Crisis: A TRU Student Perspective

Anonymous TRU student panel talks on public health crisis
Photo by TRU World



In the last few years, we have seen an increase in local dissatisfaction with the public healthcare system in Kamloops. Notable shortcomings include issues such as a lack of GP’s and family doctors in the area, an insufficient number of walk-in clinics operating on a first-come first-serve basis with queues starting as early as 6am, astronomical wait times to see specialists, and the public being left with no place to be seen but the ER for even the most minor of ailments and basic referrals. Poor management of chronic diseases, a rise in the burden of preventable illnesses and disabilities, and early mortality are all possible health implications of limited access to health care. Physical and mental health are crucial and significantly problematic in today’s world. This includes access to medical treatment, prescription drugs, and resources for their specific problem.

TRU is an International University with students from across Canada and the rest of the globe coming to its campus for studies. It goes without saying that mental health and wellness play a crucial role in the achievement potential of our students. Although insurance and medical coverage are most often handled upon their arrival, with the public health crisis in mind, are they receiving the medical care that they are promised?

This week LiftUp Kamloops spoke with a panel of anonymous Thompson Rivers University students to get their personal experiences and shortcomings dealing with the public health system in Kamloops, B.C.

Tell us about your personal experience in the comment section below,

We hope you Enjoy!

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November 7, 2022 / 0 Comments

A Conversation with Cheryl

“Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or another. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and it will make not only for our own happiness, but that of the world at large.”

Gandhi

What is volunteering? It is a choice you make so that you can make a difference in the lives of your community, neighbours or individuals that are in need. It’s something you do for free with no financial gain and your only purpose is to help benefit others. If you do yourself a favour by using your passion to brighten the life of another, that brightness will illuminate your own life too.

This is what Cheryl strives to do.

October 23, 2022 / 0 Comments

Our Children: A Human Rights Issue

We are a First-World country,

and this is a Human Rights crisis“

Photo contributed by Holly Grover

This House “seek(s) to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000”. House of Commons Campaign 2000 Declaration, 1991


Despite promises made over 30 years ago from the House of Commons, 1 in 5 children continue to live in poverty in British Columbia. Access to health care services and other social supports, which are essential for promoting good health and monitoring and treating medical disorders, is often limited for children who live in poverty. In times of need and distress, children from low-income households also have fewer resources available to them. The 2021 BC child poverty report card showed 3,320 (or 16.1%) of all children in Kamloops were living in poverty. High rates from census tracts were unsurprisingly saturated in the Downtown area near the Thompson River, as well as the North Shore near Tranquille Road.

Source: BC Annual Child Poverty Report Card

Poverty is not evenly experienced

Living in poverty denies all children affected their fundamental rights, and interferes with their ability to thrive, making it a human rights issue. However, this human rights issue is not evenly experienced. Often-marginalized communities such Indigenous reserves, show an overwhelming majority in overall statistics In 2019 the average on-reserve child poverty rate on sixty-four BC Indigenous reserves was 40.9%, with roughly 5,510 children living in poverty. The rate increased on rural reserves (47.3%) versus on urban reserves which showed (35.4%), with 2,980 children living in poverty and 2,530 children on urban reserves living in poverty.

What Is Kamloops doing for its children?

The Kamloops Food Bank offers two programs that provide children and babies with the food and supplies they need so they can continue to grow up healthy.

Photograph by: Holly Grover


The first program offered is the Starfish Backpack. Children who have been recognized at the school level as not having enough food are deemed qualified and added to this program. Volunteers at the food bank fill the backpacks with simple-to-prepare and nourishing foods before delivering them to the schools. Every Friday, the school staff gives the kids their backpacks. The year 2021-2022 the program delivered 190 backpacks across 18 schools in the community. Furthermore, they provided 57,000 meals and snacks throughout the school year. The program can be supported by donating and as well as sponsoring the cause.

The other program the Food Bank offers is the Baby Bank. It provides a monthly supply of diapers, formula, baby food, and hygiene items are given to infants and toddlers. The availability of these supplies through our Baby Bank relieves families of a significant financial burden and guarantees that infants in our community have access to the nourishment they need for normal physical growth. Their annual Basics for Babies campaign in November provides the majority of the money needed to guarantee constant product availability.

Though child poverty is still a continuous issue in our community, the government has been contributing to a resolve. In 2019, the B.C government provided 5 million dollars to the UBCM fund (Poverty Reduction Planning and Action Program). As well, the year after sixty-three local governments received a total of 1.6 millions for thirty-four poverty reduction plans and projects. As well as programs reaching out to individuals in the community that are informing and educating on the topic and statistics. Donations including school supplies, food, money and other necessities were also made. 

Unfortunately there is no obvious way to predict what outcome lies ahead. However, If there is no immediate change, the data and statistic will continue on the same trend, and the outcome will be dire . Our question is, at what height will the line on the graph have to reach before real and lasting changes are made? Poverty places children, our most vulnerable, at its center, and is undeniably a human rights issue.

Content Sources:

Kamloops advocates working to address child poverty

https://firstcallbc.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/First_Call_Report_Card_2021_Nov_23_web_FINAL.pdf

StarFish
Baby Bank
Child Poverty: The Facts You Need to Know
October 14, 2022 / 0 Comments

Tackling the Crisis Head-on

Photo of: Meadow Ryder Image by: Holly Grover

After looking into the addiction and housing crisis within Kamloops, we wanted to learn more about the issues and decided to talk to Meadow, a shelter support worker at the Mustard Seed shelter and thrift store. The Mustard Seed is a non-profit organization that is funded by its thrift store. They have many donors, including Starbucks, who donate food items to help feed the community.

Meadow is currently enrolled at Thompson Rivers University. She is taking the police and justice program and is using the experience she gets from working as a shelter support worker to help achieve her goals for the future. When asked what she was hoping to accomplish at the Mustard Seed, she replied, “I genuinely just want to help and make a difference in my client’s lives. I love seeing them smile and laugh and being there for them when they are down so I can do what I can to lift them back up.”

Many of them are such amazing, smart, kind and positive people; despite going through so much – they are just beautiful people.

“I do think Kamloops is limited. I know most, if not all, rehab centers for addiction require clients to be clean before they enter the program. This can be especially challenging for people experiencing addiction that are also homeless. One common reason for this is a large number of the people experiencing homelessness often do not have a lot of friends and family to support them. Somebody experiencing addiction needs a lot of support; it would be extremely challenging to overcome it alone. If people suffering with addiction don’t have that support and can’t get clean alone, they will not be accepted into a rehab center. For me, this is a really upsetting aspect because these people need help to get clean but can’t access the help unless they are already sober. It kind of defeats the purpose of the rehabilitation center for people who need support and don’t have it – it’s a very vicious cycle.” This was Meadow’s response when we asked her how she felt about the addiction services offered in Kamloops. She believes that the resources offered in Kamloops are only easily accessible if you know where to look. “I think if I were able to improve the accessibility of the resources, I would have them do seminars at high schools and universities to make the resources known. I would have various resources broadcasted on the radio and allow it to be an open conversation, so it’s easier in the sense that if someone needs help, they can ask questions in a comfortable manner that allows them to feel judgment-free.” Meadow also said that one of the biggest resources Kamloops is lacking is the ability to access health care, as well as the transportation to health care facilities.

Photo courtesy of Dave Eagles/KTW

“How do you handle and protect yourself from the lack of control, and inevitable grief that comes with making connections with suffering individuals?” When we asked Meadow this question she responded with, “It can be hard, I will admit. Especially if you have been through the same trauma as someone who is opening up with you. If it’s something that I’ve experienced, I hurt for them, because I know what it’s like. I think the best thing to do is to make sure you are fully ready to take on the weight of the conversation. An important aspect is knowing that it’s okay to say that you aren’t able to have that conversation right now. If it’s urgent, direct them to someone who can help them, or ask them and say ‘Hey, I’m having a really hard day today and although I really care about what you are trying to tell me, I don’t have the capacity for this right now. Would it be okay if we talked about this tomorrow?’ You can’t pour from an empty cup and it’s okay to just say no, of course you want to help people but you also need to look out for yourself so you can continue to do so.”

Photo of : Meadow Ryder Image by: Holly Grover

The final question we asked Meadow was, “What’s the one thing you would tell the world if you could, that they could do within their daily lives to help the situation of those struggling with mental health and addiction?” She replied, “Treat them as human beings. So many people believe they are better than these individuals, maybe because they have more materialistic things or are not struggling with the same things. But many of these people have been through things I could’ve never imagined, and then fell on hard times because they didn’t have anybody to help them. Many of them are such amazing, smart, kind and positive people; despite going through so much-they are just beautiful people.” 

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October 9, 2022 / 0 Comments

Truth In Numbers

Photograph by Hannah Brown (Edited by Karishma Rai)– Digital photograph featuring an aerial view of the City of Kamloops

It is happening all around us. The crisis of human inequality and lack of social justice within our society. Perhaps you see it on our morning coffee run, as you roll through the Starbucks line, nodding hello to the young man who sits there every day with his cardboard sign saying “homeless, please help.” Maybe it’s when you’ve finished work, embarking on your nightly bicycle ride through Riverside Park. You briefly see a woman in her makeshift blue tent as you race by. Recently her image has turned into a quick blue smudge in your eyeline, now you’re unsure if you’ve see her at all.

It’s normal to become desensitized to things we are exposed to every day. Although the issues of poverty, hunger, indigenous inequality, substance issues, and homelessness may not be at the forefront of your consciousness, the numbers unfortunately, do not lie.

Child Poverty Statistics:

Based on the 2019 Kamloops Census, there were 3,320 children (or 16% of all children) living in poverty. The locations with the highest density of these children were unsurprisingly the North Shore near Tranquille Road, as well as Downton areas. 5.8% of two-child families were found to live below the wage of $15.93/hr in 2019. The “Point in Time Count”, done every second year in Kamloops to count the number of people experiencing homelessness in over a specified period; and to gather information on the demographics and service needs of the local homeless population, found that 46% of those asked had experienced homelessness before the age of 19, with 13-15 being the most common response. 71% of the homeless youth had been in foster care or a group home setting and were indigenous. 22% chose homelessness over being in Ministry care.

In 2021, 418 children under 5yo were recipients of Food Bank Kamloops resources, and 849 were between 6-17yo. 8,775 snacks were provided to children in 2021. Further, 144 “Starfish Backpacks” were delivered to specific children on the Friday of each week, to ensure they had sufficient food for the weekend.

Homelessness Statistics:

“The Point In Time Count” was conducted over a 24-hr period in April 2021, surveying those staying in emergency centers as well as those staying on the streets.

PITC Findings:

  • 206 people identified as homeless
  • 47% percent identified as indigenous
  • 62% were sheltered, and 38% were not.
  • Reason for homelessness #1 – not enough income for housing, #2 substance use issues
  • 76% identify as male, 22% identify as female and %2 identify as LGBTQ2S+
  • Health challenges: 86% substance use issue, 64% mental health issue, 49% illness/medical issue, 46% physical limitation, 33% learning disability or cognitive limitation

With the percentages of homeless experiencing each of these health challenges, it is likely that many are experiencing a combination. From this data, one could speculate that in some circumstances substance use may be the result of poor quality of life due to lack of health and social resources.

Visual data representation courtesy of the City of Kamloops PITC Key Findings (2021)

Kamloops Food Bank Battling Hunger:

Image courtesy of the Kamloops Food Bank

A whopping 1,969,613 meals were provided in 2021, with 1116,000 lbs of it collected by Rotary Food Drives. Statistics show that 4,863 Kamloops citizens relied on the food bank in the last year.

Addiction/Substance Issues:

86% of the homeless in Kamloops have substance use issues. In 2021 there were 78 recorded deaths due to overdose, the highest number ever recorded. Statistics from the Chief Coroner’s office showed 47 overdose deaths just in the first half of 2022. They expect the total to well surpass last years by 2023.

We may find ourselves desensitized to the shortcomings within our community, however there is truth in numbers. By looking at the data and statistics, we can begin to recognize the holes in our current resources and systems, as well as recognize the areas which should take priority in terms of evoking change moving forward.

SOURCES:

Annual Report 2021: Kamloops Food Bank. (2021). Kamloops Foodbank. Retrieved from https://www.kamloopsfoodbank.org/2021-annual-report/

Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. (2022). Kamloops | The Homeless Hub. Homelessness Hub. Retrieved from https://www.homelesshub.ca/community-profile/kamloops

City of Kamloops. (2021, October). Homeless Count | City of Kamloops. Retrieved from https://www.kamloops.ca/our-community/housing-homelessness/homeless-count

City of Kamloops. (2018). Kamloops Affordable Housing Summary. Retrieved from https://www.kamloops.ca/sites/default/files/2022-02/affordablehousing_summary-june_2018.pdf

Kamloops, BC – Demographics. (2022). Townfolio. Retrieved from https://townfolio.co/bc/kamloops/demographics

FirstCall – Child and Youth Advocacy Society (2021). 2021 BC Child Poverty Report Card. Retrieved from https://still1in5.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/First_Call_Report_Card_2021_Nov_23_web.pdf