This report traces the development of the Kamloops Homelessness Action Plan’s attempt to provide a baseline understanding of support services available for homeless and at-risk people in the community of Kamloops, British Columbia. For the homeless and at-risk, adequate support services are just as important as housing itself. Ensuring that people remain housed depends on providing the right supports, and providing the right supports for the community requires an understanding of what is available, how support services are accessed, and in which areas services may be improved. This project aims to provide this understanding.

The project approaches support services from two complementary perspectives: that of the service providers themselves and that of those who use these services. This report documents these perspectives, explains how they were gathered, and attempts to draw conclusions and make recommendations regarding the improvement of support services in Kamloops. This information is available online through a dynamic resource, ewaykamloops.ca. It is our hope that this project will assist those who provide support services, those who access support services, as well as the community as a whole. Beyond that, we sincerely hope that other communities may learn from our process to enhance their own systems of support for people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.