It91裸聊视频檚 -12 C and a cold wind is amplifying the icy bite of the air. It91裸聊视频檚 Thursday morning, Dec. 1, about 9 a.m.

Sandy Bunting is busy picking up discarded pieces of wood and putting them in a bin, tidying up the area next to the tents that sit under trees across from the Salvation Army building on 3rd Street SE.

She stops for a minute to talk.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 really proud of them, there91裸聊视频檚 hardly any garbage anymore,91裸聊视频� she said of the seven people currently living in the tents.

She had been living rough in Salmon Arm for six years but recently moved into nearby Cedar Place, the 38-unit building for people who are without homes or at risk of becoming homeless. It opened in November 2021, a project of the Shuswap-Revelstoke branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), in partnership with BC Housing and the City of Salmon Arm.

Although she has moved into housing, she cares a lot about the people in tents. She hopes the town will open something soon.

91裸聊视频淚t is so cold out here and they need to be in, in the daytime. Nighttime they can curl up together. But daytime there91裸聊视频檚 nowhere they can go to drink coffee and just relax. They can91裸聊视频檛 relax. All day long out here. It91裸聊视频檚 very, very cold.91裸聊视频�

Read more:

She said some people are getting sick from being wet all the time. And she expresses her appreciation and pride for them all managing to live and survive in tents.

Bunting also said everyone appreciates all the help community members have been providing. She said blankets and tarps are always welcome, as are mittens, socks and jackets.

And she expresses her appreciation for Cedar Place. 

91裸聊视频淓verybody that works there is so positive, they say positive things to you every day. You91裸聊视频檙e like, 91裸聊视频榳hat the heck.91裸聊视频� And it makes you feel like you91裸聊视频檙e actually cared about.91裸聊视频�

She said she understands staffing at Cedar Place has improved over time and is now 91裸聊视频渁mazing.91裸聊视频� Things like bingo nights and movie nights stop residents who might have otherwise gone outside and done drugs or alcohol, she explained.

91裸聊视频淣ow we91裸聊视频檙e focusing on ourselves. But I still focus on them,91裸聊视频� she says of the tenters. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e changed so much91裸聊视频� I had my first shower in there and holy, I didn91裸聊视频檛 know my hair was dirty. I was washing in the river but with cold water. And we hardly ever got to have showers91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

Read more:

Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo is also concerned about the lack of a shelter in Salmon Arm, particularly during the freezing temperatures.

He said he knows 91裸聊视频渨ith absolute certainty91裸聊视频� of a Salmon Arm resident who offered up two parcels as potential lease sites but nothing has proceeded.

Kyllo said the housing minister met with him for 10 minutes on Nov. 24 when he also had an extended conversation with BC Housing.

He said he heard concerns about things like zoning and locations, but no remedies or definite dates.

Kyllo suggested solutions such as the ministry overriding zoning when necessary, contacting the First Nations bands regarding locations, or setting up a camp with trailers like those used in northern work camps.

He said BC Housing and the B.C. government are responsible for housing and have known about the need for a shelter since at least May when the Salvation Army closed the Lighthouse Emergency Shelter for good.

91裸聊视频淭he sad reality is, here we are at December 1st with temperatures freezing and snow on the ground.91裸聊视频�

He said the B.C. government91裸聊视频檚 statement about having trouble locating a site 91裸聊视频渄oesn91裸聊视频檛 provide much comfort for someone freezing in a tent.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚f you91裸聊视频檙e saying it91裸聊视频檚 an emergency, then act like it91裸聊视频檚 an emergency.91裸聊视频�

Read more:

Glenda Cooper, CMHA91裸聊视频檚 manager of supporting homefulness, said the association91裸聊视频檚 homeless outreach coordinator sees about 30 people regularly in Salmon Arm who are living rough.

91裸聊视频淲e know there are more we don91裸聊视频檛 see,91裸聊视频� she added.

She said warm toques, mitts and socks are always welcome.

91裸聊视频淎ny warm-weather gear is super appreciated.91裸聊视频�

Such donations can be dropped off at the CMHA91裸聊视频檚 Hudson Thrift Shoppe, Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon. She asked that it be earmarked for people who are unhoused.

BC Housing was contacted for an update on a shelter and said it will provide a response to the Observer, possibly by the end of the day.

Read more: