The newly renovated low-barrier homeless shelter Roots on First has opened their doors to clients in Williams Lake.
"While the journey to opening has not been without its challenges, we are incredibly excited to have reached this important milestone," said Tereena Donahue, executive director of Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) for the Cariboo-Chilcotin branch.
The new shelter will accommodate around 40 clients, will be open for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is expected to include connections to programs and services.
Roots on First will replace the temporary emergency shelter at the Hamilton Hotel and was a project led by BC Housing and will be operated by CMHA. Prior to this new shelter facility, clients were expected to leave the Hamilton Hotel shelter during the daytime and the building was reportedly a challenge for staff to operate safely due to its set-up.
The renovations for the Roots on First building at 98 First Avenue South are reportedly not quite completed, but the shelter is beginning to provide shelter and support for unhoused people in the community.
"The tight timeline and urgent need to serve clients meant we had to proceed with a soft opening before all renovations and final details were complete," said Donahue. The shelter had originally been planned to open in the fall of 2024, however a flood in the building and other delays pushed the opening back more than once during the construction process.
Once the renovations are fully completed and the space is 100 per cent operational, Donahue said they hope to share the space via a virtual walk-through to share how the facility and programs will work.
The facility includes an outdoor space made secure through high fences and coded gates. Plans are in the works for outdoor landscaping and beautification as well, once the interior is completed.
Donahue also invited the community to join their Community Collaboration to Address Homelessness meetings where CMHA will provide updates, answer questions and explore opportunities for community solutions to help the unhoused, she said.
