Since moving into Trailside on Highway 97 North, transitional housing that opened in May, Kelowna, B.C., resident Clint Allen has been painting a mural to make it feel more like home.
“My passion that I’ve discovered recently is art,” said Allen.
But now he’ll have to beautify a new space because after five years of living in homeless shelters, Trailside along with supports offered there have helped him secure a permanent home starting next month.
“For the first time feeling like a normal human being.” Allen said. “I can’t begin to describe how that feels because I’m still trying to figure it out.”
Allen’s story is one of success but for many others, it’s not as homelessness in Kelowna and across B.C. continues spiraling out of control.
“We take folks who are currently living rough or at shelters and then bring them in and work with them on whatever it is that they need to work on in order to get permanent, long-term, stable housing and that looks different for everybody.” said Tara Tschritter, regional director of the Southern Interior for Turning Points Collaborative Society, which operates Trailside.
Allen credits the fact he doesn’t have addictions for being able to move successfully through the system but he also believes more transitional housing is badly needed.
Last month, the city announced 60 more transitional housing units that will be located on Appaloosa road near Reid’s corner come the new year.
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That will bring the total number of transitional housing units in the city to 180.
While advocates say more transitional housing is needed, the city said there are no imminent plans to build more.
In an email to Global News, the city said the Appaloosa project by B.C. Housing is the final part of a MOU (memorandum of understanding) on this type of housing for the time being.
However, the city also stated that it continues to advocate to the province to continue to add this and other types of shelter and affordable housing.
“One hundred and eighty new homes in one year is significant for this type of housing,” said housing minister Ravi Kahlon. “We’ll see how the work progresses because we need to move people into other types of housing, and those investments will take of course priority over the next coming years.”
Allen hopes his story is an eye-opener and helps remove the stigma around supportive and transitional housing for both those who are sober and those battling addictions.
“The community frowns upon places like this because they don’t truly understand what’s going on.” Allens said. “This is what’s changed my life. It’s given me the ability to move on, to finally live like a normal human being.”
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