GALLERY GEARING UP PAGE 3
PRISON CROWDING AUDIT PAGE 19
CENTS ADD THREE NEW FACES PAGE 24
Nicola Valley’s News Voice Since 1905
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MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Rash of theft keeps police busy A series of vehicle thefts earlier this week in the Pooley Avenue area has Merritt police asking the public to keep an eye out for suspicious activities and report them to the RCMP. Three trucks, a quad and a trailer were all stolen from various compounds and businesses in that part of Merritt, Const. Tracy Dunsmore said. At about 8 a.m. on Jan. 11, police received a report of a stolen pickup truck from Fox Farm Road. The vehicle was found abandoned on Bann Street later that day. The next day at about 7 a.m., police received word that a flat deck trailer was stolen from a property on Pooley Avenue. RCMP also received a call of the theft of two pickup trucks from another address on Pooley that were said to have been stolen overnight. One pickup was recovered at
the scene of the stolen flat deck and the second pickup is still outstanding, Dunsmore stated in an email. RCMP also received a complaint that a quad had been stolen earlier that night from a compound on McFarlane Way. Police believe all the thefts are related and are asking members of the public for any information they may have relating to these crimes. Merritt RCMP continue to respond to numerous thefts from sheds and travel trailers around the city as well. Residents should check their homes, trailers and sheds to ensure valuables are safely stored and marked, Dunsmore noted via email. Information on crime can be reported to the RCMP at 250-378-4262 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477.
BREAKING THE ICE Friday was the beginning of eight weeks of skating lessons held by the Nicola Valley Skating Club at the Shulus Arena. The initiative is part of an attempt to re-establish the Nicola Valley Skating Club. The club has 29 people registered for lessons, but can accommodate up to 40. Those wishing to inquire further can call 250-378-0114. Lessons run until March 13 and will start up again in the fall. Michael Potestio/Herald
Demographics in homelessness changing By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
newsroom@merrittherald.com
The numbers from the 2014 homeless count are in, and they show some shifts in the demographics of the people who are living homeless in Merritt. A total of 18 people identified as absolutely homeless and were surveyed by volunteers during the homeless count in Merritt on Sept. 11, 2014. Volunteers encountered seven youths living homeless in Merritt: two were unaccompanied and five were accompanied by their single mothers. Two of the identified
homeless people had dogs with them. ASK Wellness outreach worker Stacy Wormell said in general, the 2014 numbers show the proportion of homeless women and girls is increasing. “In previous years, females have always seemed to be underrepresented. This year, it is starting to even out,” Wormell said, noting the gender balance is roughly half and half. Volunteers also identified eight homeless camps around town. Camps that were evidently not accessed for some time were still counted and recorded as places
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people may revisit during the warmer months after spending nights during the winter months at Merritt’s cold weather shelter. The average age in the homeless population in Merritt typically falls between 40 and 55, and this year came in just under that bracket at 39. Wormell said 2014 saw the deaths of about six older people with whom the office had regular contact. However, she said the numbers are concerning given the number of deaths. The count is run each year by ASK Wellness with the intention of connecting some of the city’s marginal-
ized with available services. Volunteers canvas the city and ask the homeless people they identify a series of questions, including the reasons why they’re without a place to live. They also hand out backpacks equipped with blankets, jackets, hygiene packs, first aid kits and water. Wormell said among the reasons some of the people were homeless were addiction, abuse and family conflict, physical disability, and simply not being able to afford rent. Wormell said a single person on basic income assistance receives $375 a
month for rent. ASK Wellness has spearheaded the count since 2009, and has historically used a point-in-time count, wherein volunteers canvass the city on one day and collect data through surveys. Then in 2013, volunteers took a different direction from ASK Wellness’ Kamloops office and did a “homeless connect.” The connect involved volunteers giving out backpacks with supplies to people who identified as absolutely homeless and letting them know of services, but no data collection. In 2014, the local agency used a different approach.
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Volunteers reverted back to the point-in-time survey, but also surveyed anyone who came into the ASK Wellness office on Granite Avenue and identified as homeless during the month of September. ASK Wellness Merritt director Bobbi Parkes said using a broader timeframe allowed the society to account for certain factors of homelessness that could affect the numbers from the count day, including transience given the city’s proximity to highways and simple factors such as weather.
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