The City of Williams Lake has approved the funding and the set up of a temporary homeless shelter.
At a Special Council Meeting yesterday, the City approved the shelter, that will be set up in the Hamilton Hotel, and the allocation of $10,000 to support the project.
The temporary shelter is set to be placed until March 31, 2021, under the presumption that the shelter meets all legal requirements and safety regulations.
The $10,000 will be allotted from the City’s COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant, in which they had previously allocated $50,000 to support services for the vulnerable population, including homeless
The City had previously declined a request from community groups that would have seen the set up of a temporary tent shelter. Using the existing hotel space eased the concerns that City staff had with the previous proposal of a temporary shelter comprised of tents. With the current proposal, the City no longer has concerns regarding 24-hour site security, waste management, and infrastructure requirements to serve a location.