It鈥檚 -12 C and a cold wind is amplifying the icy bite of the air. It鈥檚 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.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of them, there鈥檚 hardly any garbage anymore,鈥� 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.

鈥淚t is so cold out here and they need to be in, in the daytime. Nighttime they can curl up together. But daytime there鈥檚 nowhere they can go to drink coffee and just relax. They can鈥檛 relax. All day long out here. It鈥檚 very, very cold.鈥�

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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. 

鈥淓verybody that works there is so positive, they say positive things to you every day. You鈥檙e like, 鈥榳hat the heck.鈥� And it makes you feel like you鈥檙e actually cared about.鈥�

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

鈥淣ow we鈥檙e focusing on ourselves. But I still focus on them,鈥� she says of the tenters. 鈥淚鈥檝e changed so much鈥� I had my first shower in there and holy, I didn鈥檛 know my hair was dirty. I was washing in the river but with cold water. And we hardly ever got to have showers鈥︹��

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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 鈥渨ith absolute certainty鈥� 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.

鈥淭he sad reality is, here we are at December 1st with temperatures freezing and snow on the ground.鈥�

He said the B.C. government鈥檚 statement about having trouble locating a site 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 provide much comfort for someone freezing in a tent.鈥�

鈥淚f you鈥檙e saying it鈥檚 an emergency, then act like it鈥檚 an emergency.鈥�

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Glenda Cooper, CMHA鈥檚 manager of supporting homefulness, said the association鈥檚 homeless outreach coordinator sees about 30 people regularly in Salmon Arm who are living rough.

鈥淲e know there are more we don鈥檛 see,鈥� she added.

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

鈥淎ny warm-weather gear is super appreciated.鈥�

Such donations can be dropped off at the CMHA鈥檚 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.

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