Penticton to open emergency winter shelter along Government Street

In time, several high-rises will be constructed on a 10-acre property in Penticton across from the city’s hospital.

The decade-long project, announced on Friday by the city and a developer, could cost as much as $800 million.

However, that’s down the road, assuming city council gives it the green light. This winter, the industrial site at 1704 Government St. will be turned into an emergency winter shelter for the homeless.

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Rocky Sethi, managing director of Stryke Group, one of the two developers, said they’ve been working with BC Housing on delivering much-needed shelter space.

“We’re super proud of that,” Sethi told Global News. “It was a lot of hard work and very, very fast work between us ourselves, City Penticton, BC housing and Grayback Contracting to turn around some space in under two weeks from start to finish.”

The city also announced Friday that it has leased the site and partnered with Penticton and Area Overdose Prevention Society to operate the 30-bed shelter.

The lease cost of $20,000 will be taken on by the city while operation costs will be covered by BC Housing.

The shelter will operate from December to March 31, and will open for various needs, including temperatures of -5 C or below, more than five cm of snow, freezing rain or ongoing rain.

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A group called 100 More Homes Penticton originally approached council in 2016 requesting housing solutions for 100 homeless people in the city. It says the original goal has been met, but there remains a significant need in the city.

“We want to thank city council for taking this step this year to provide a space that will provide people a warm space during the coldest nights of the year,” said Linda Sankey, co-chair of 100 More Homes. “We have exhausted all the options currently available and the city’s willingness to recognize the human need to provide care and to facilitate a long-term plan with BC Housing are key strides as we seek to deal with the crisis on our streets.”

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“With temperatures dropping, council felt it appropriate to make sure these members of our community will have a place to stay on the coldest nights and provide space for this year while future arrangements are explored,” said the city’s mayor, Julius Bloomfield.

Sethi said Stryke Group was more than happy to help.

“If we can help the community and do it in a way where we can help those less fortunate than us, and really help protect people that are out there…. our team took a lot of pride in being able to do it really fast,” said Sethi. “It’s a real testament to the work of the City of Penticton and BC Housing on collaborating and getting it done.”