Kelowna’s homelessness initiative calls for creation of 300 housing units

Kelowna council has approved a draft report that is designed to address the city’s homelessness problem.

The report is called the Journey Home Strategy and will cost $47 million to implement.

“To achieve success in having the appropriate level of housing and supports in place, it relies on numerous funding partners and donors in the community. Having the Journey Home strategy in place allows us to be well-positioned in applying for funding,” Journey Home co-chair Martin Bell said.

The five-year plan calls for the creation of 300 new long-term supportive housing units in Kelowna.

Some of those units would include the already-approved project on Commerce Avenue in Kelowna where 46 units will be built. The project has drawn controversy because area businesses said they were not consulted by the province. The project is currently under review and is expected to be in operation within the year, but no firm date has been set.

The final draft of the Journey Home Strategy is set to be presented to Kelowna city council in June.