Since the start of the year, 25 people who have spent time in Trail’s homeless shelter have been able to find market rental housing, city council has been told.
Council heard a presentation Monday from Nancy Gurr of BC Housing and Sheila Adcock, of the Trail Association for Community Living, which operates the La Nina shelter. The shelter moved to a new facility on Riverside Avenue in September 2024. Although intended to be temporary, council has agreed to allow it to operate at that location through 2028.
Gurr stressed that the shelter, which has 25 beds, does not provide drop-in services, and only overnight guests can access food, showers, and laundry.
Adcock said word about vacancies gets out through people dropping by or phoning the Career Development Services office downtown. They also have a housing facilitator as part of the Getting to Home program who lets people know when space is available, as do nurses who visit the shelter five days per week. Beds are available first-come, first-serve. Typically they don’t stay empty long, Adcock said.
Adcock was asked how many people come to the shelter from the regional hospital or the Daly Pavilion, and if they go to the shelter because they can’t or don’t want to go home.
Adcock replied that up to 10 people a year might come from the hospital, although they are not necessarily from out of the area. She said this year, they helped at least six people return to another community. Some might come from the hospital and stay a few days until they can catch a bus elsewhere.
“So that’s what we say: come for a few days, we’ll help you get back home. Most people are pretty happy to go back to their home community. Very few end up staying here from other communities.”
Adcock said if Trail had a supportive housing facility, some residents would be eligible, having proven their ability to maintain a bed at the shelter. She said sometimes people are unable to meet the shelter’s expectations, but they might return a few weeks later, once they are stable enough to do so.
She said shelter residents can access a number of services, and be referred to their housing faciliator.
“Once we get them stable, she works with landlords, and helps get them housed,” Adcock said. “And then she’s able to follow them.” If things go sideways, landlords are able to contact her. “We’re able to intervene quite quickly and then they don’t lose their space and the landlord’s pretty happy.“
Adcock said they have helped 25 people find rental housing who would have otherwise have been homeless.
She said a handful of shelter residents have been there since the doors opened last year. Before that, they were living on the streets together as a peer group.
“A lot of them are terrified of moving out and living on their own,” Adcock said. “Who’s going to find me if I overdose? Who’s going to help me? Who is going to be there? They’re used to being around a bunch of peers.”
She said they have worked with some residents to suggest they share an apartment, or rent out a room in someone else’s home.
As for those who remain on the street in Trail, Adcock said the majority would never go into any shelter, because “that’s their lifestyle now.” She also said a small number would not be a good fit for the shelter because they are “predatory and assaultive, aggressive towards all of the other guests.”
Councillor Nick Cashol asked about the perimeter walks shelter staff conduct. He was told that while it’s not intended to monitor drug use, staff do walk around the area two to three times a day to prevent loitering and ensure residents abide by good neighbour rules.
“Typically, they’ll move on before we even get close enough to say hello, because they know that is part of their agreement and they could risk losing their bed,” Adcock said.
Cashol asked if BC Housing would consider extending the range for the perimeter walks to Groutage Avenue, but was told that without additional funding, they couldn’t commit to do so.
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