Poor people on the edge will soon have a wider mix of places to live in Kelowna.
The B.C. government has named two local agencies to operate buildings that will cater to those with addictions and health problems who can‘t find a home. Residents will move into 90 bachelor apartments once they‘re built in 2010.
The Canadian Mental Health Association has been selected to run one of the apartment blocks on Boyce Crescent near downtown. It‘s suited to tenants who have left emergency shelters like the Gospel Mission, hospitals or treatment centres.
The building will allow people to stabilize before they move into more stable supportive housing.
“We have great emergency shelters, but they aren‘t always appropriate for people with medical conditions or fragile mental-health issues or addiction issues,” said Kara Keam, the CMHA‘s homeless-outreach co-ordinator in Kelowna.
“This (building) allows social agencies to do more planning and be more strategic with resources in the community.”
The CMHA received a boost last winter when an Edmonton developer allowed it to use the Willow Inn as a temporary shelter for 34 marginalized people. Most of them have since found a place to live after staff connected them with health services and taught them life skills, Keam said.
“We could see this was one of the missing pieces as a community resource,” she said. “If we can have a month or two, we can work with someone. It can make all the difference in the world.”
Those a bit stronger on their feet will fit the criteria for a 49-unit building at 195 Rutland Rd. North, near Highway 33. The John Howard Society will operate the apartment block where tenants may only need help with grocery shopping but otherwise can‘t find housing, said Shelley Cook, executive director of the local society.
“Mr. Smith may require people to just peek in on him. He may be isolated, and we want to make sure he has social connections and support.”
The three-storey building will be a logical transition for recovering addicts or people with mental-health problems who have undergone treatment at the Cardington Apartments on St. Paul Street, where Interior Health staff will work.
The shortage of affordable housing in Kelowna means landlords can be picky when choosing their tenants. The new suites will give people who aren‘t “27-year-old grad students” a better chance of finding a long-term roof over their heads, Cook said.
The province is spending $30 million to help create 130 supportive housing units on three city-owned properties and $1.6 million to operate them each year. NOW Canada was selected months ago to run 40 family-style units at 2938 Tutt St.
Construction of the buildings should begin in 2009. Top of Page
