As the snow piles up and the forecast for next week in Kelowna calls for overnight lows in the -9 C range, the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society has issued an extreme weather warning. “This goes out to all of our community partners and government partners, just in recognition that when weather conditions reach a certain point where there is a risk or potential for loss of life and well-being, we activate this alert,” says COJHS executive director Stephanie Gauthier . The number of people living on Kelowna’s streets has increased over the past year with about 150 people taking shelter outside as winter approaches. “Extreme weather response is one of the things that gives the City of Kelowna’s community safety team the discretion to make health and safety decisions around outdoor housing,” Gauthier said. The notice gives the RCMP and other frontline workers who deal with the homeless every day the latitude and discretion to allow people to leave their tents and belongings for more than 24 hours. “Regulation and the police would usually move people, depending on the nature of the circumstances, but in some cases, moving people will put them at greater risk of exposure to the cold,” says Gauthier. COJHS admits Kelowna isn’t where they’d like it to be when it comes to shelter beds or warming stations. “It’s not the ideal solution we’d like to have right now in terms of interior space and functionality for everyone who needs it. But it’s part of our level one response.” The real issue is the lack of workers to man the spaces they already have. “It’s not about the money, it’s just about finding the staff and BC Housing has committed to funding additional shelter spaces and carpet programs and warming centres. It’s really a case of finding the staff who can work in those spaces,” says Gauthier. A new shelter opened last month in the old BC Tree Fruits packing house at the corner of Ellis Street and Bay Avenue. But while the shelter was meant to provide 60 new shelter beds, operator Kelowna Gospel Mission couldn’t find enough staff and just 30 beds are currently open there. “We’re just like any business and industry. We’re very attuned to the health care crisis that cities in our province and our country are facing, and the human services sector is no different,” says Gauthier. Without warming centers or shelter beds, staying warm in winter is a challenge for those living on the streets. “We’ve searched internationally for efficient battery heating solutions for tents that don’t require a generator and things like that,” Gauthier said, adding that so far the search has come up empty. He said there is an outdoor day-use area that was created over the summer and moved indoors through the Metro Community Church. “They’re running it as just an extension of what they already offer in terms of the health center and the reception center and the props and things like that. So it will be available throughout the winter, as an indoor space. We’re working to try to find other solutions as well.” for the heating centers,” added Gauthier.
