New temporary homeless shelter run by community group to open in Kelowna

After months of searching, B.C. Housing announced it's partnering with a newly formed community group in Kelowna, B.C., to open a temporary homeless shelter called the Welcome Inn. 

The former food bank building owned by Metro Community church is being renovated and will open in late December or early January in the Okanagan city. 

Co-manager of the shelter and chairman of the church's board, Jason Siebenga, told Radio West host Sarah Penton it's needed because other shelters in Kelowna are full.

"It's troubling to think, that in this day and age, with the kind of resources we have in this community that people are stuck sleeping outside. It just feels so inhumane," Siebenga said. 

Funding for a temporary shelter has been available from the province since the end of October. However, the city, up until now, was unable to find a location for one.

In late November, the City of Kelowna shut down a downtown homeless tent city, citing safety concerns and told campers they can set up at two parks in the city's north end.

This came after mounting pressure from local businesses that were leaving the Leon Avenue area because they said they couldn't operate under such circumstances.

The city estimates there are 60 to 80 people who are homeless right now.

Hoping to expand to 40 beds

Siebenga came forward to co-manage Welcome Inn with Tara Tschritter, a local businesswoman and former manager of the now closed Inn From The Cold shelter.

The temporary shelter located at 1265 Ellis Street, will have 20 beds, but could expand to 40 if enough volunteers are found, said B.C. Housing in a statement.

Shelter guests will have access to daily meals provided by the Gospel Mission, washrooms, storage for belongings and a common room. Siebenga said it will also have an overdose prevention site where residents can safely use drugs.

The goal is to have the shelter open 24 hours a day, but that depends on the availability of staff and volunteers so it may initially open overnights only. 

Metro Community is also hosting a warming centre behind the shelter during the day.

Siebenga said they will have some paid staff, but they will still need the community to help out. 

"We think there's something in the volunteer base that could really be meaningful to the broader community to help de-stigmatize and understand these realities," he said. 

The shelter plans to stay open until March 31, 2020.

Future of tenting in parks

News a winter shelter location had been identified comes a week after B.C. Housing shared that 40 short-term beds would be opening at a temporary bridge housing facility on Fuller Avenue. The beds are for people who already have spots in shelters who are waiting for supportive housing units to open in the spring. 

Between this and the Welcome Inn, there is potential availability of 60 to 80 shelter spots. However, Darren Caul, director of community safety in Kelowna, said it's hard to tell if it will be enough.

"The nature of the population makes it very difficult to garner any sort of accurate estimates of the number of people who are living without homes in our community," he said.

The city legally has to allow overnight temporary shelter in parks or public spaces if there are not enough shelter spaces. If there are enough shelter spaces, there is the possibility of closing the park sites.

"Should we get to a place where there is indeed adequate sheltering and that is an if, then we'll absolutely look at it," said Caul.

However, the number of people without shelter space often shifts.

"We need to maintain the flexibility as it relates to our park spaces should we find ourselves in the future or on an ongoing basis in that position where we have that legal obligation."

Click the link below to listen to the full interview: