Merritt shelter raising concern about recent drop in numbers

The staff at the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter were expecting colder weather to result in a jump in people seeking out their services, but instead they saw a drop in clients.

"They just weren't making it to the shelter," said Housing First coordinator Amery Schultz.

Merritt has seen temperatures below -10 C for the last week. Typically, he sees about five people a night, but during this recent cold snap, there have only been about two or three people showing up per night. 

Clients sleeping in unsafe locations

"They end up in party houses and things like [the bush] — places we just wouldn't like them being."

Schultz estimated there were 100 people experiencing homelessness in Merritt. He says people end up migrating to communities like Merritt because the shelters are often not as full as they are in larger centres like Kamloops.

Schultz says clients are ending up in the emergency room.

"Our former guests have turned up there because they found themselves in those dangerous situations," he said.

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Schultz says he'd like residents of Merritt to reach out when they see someone sleeping outside in the cold and let them know that there are shelter services available in the city.

Cold temperatures are expected to continue until the weekend in the region.

With files from Daybreak Kamloops