BC Housing wants to keep operating controversial ‘temporary’ Penticton shelter for another year

BC Housing is asking for the City of Penticton’s permission to continue operating a controversial emergency winter shelter for at least another year.

The housing agency has applied for a temporary use permit to continue running the 42-bed shelter at 352 Winnipeg St. until March 31, 2022, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and a need for additional shelter spaces in the community.

City staff are asking the mayor and council for direction at Tuesday’s council meeting. The application could be scrapped, or city council could move forward with the public notification process if it chooses to consider the plan.

City council begrudgingly approved the original permit in October 2020. It is currently set to expire at the end of March and the shelter would have to close by April 1. Some councillors were concerned they had no other options as winter approached and pandemic-related restrictions reduced capacity at Penticton’s only other shelter.

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Nearby residents and businesses had expressed their opposition to the location of the shelter, worried about a potential increase in property crime, loitering, and drug use.

Penticton’s mayor, John Vassilaki, called for greater operator accountability and beefed up security at the time.

City staff suggest the city craft location guidelines so proponents such as BC Housing have some direction as to where city council would prefer shelters and supportive housing facilities to be built in the future.

A staff report lists the current shelter services available during the pandemic winter, including year-round shelters for women, children and youth, a year-round emergency shelter at Compass Court on Main Street, a provincial COVID-19 isolation shelter on Winnipeg Street, a “surge capacity” emergency winter shelter on Winnipeg Street, and an extreme weather shelter at the Church of Nazarene.

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“Each one of the facilities was developed as one-off projects, without overarching location guidelines to be considered. Having location selection criteria would assist the Province, BC Housing, Interior Health Authority, and service providers of the City’s expectations around locations for these types of facilities,” the staff report said.

City council has been locked in a dispute with BC Housing over the services provided in the community.

Municipal politicians asked the provincial government to commission a third-party independent audit of existing social services, to ensure those struggling with homelessness and drug addiction are getting the help they need.

Penticton’s mayor and council also feel the relatively small community is being saddled with a disproportionate amount of shelter and supportive housing facilities while surrounding communities have none.

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BC Housing is proposing that a fourth supportive housing facility be built on Skaha Lake Road. City council wants the housing agency to put the brakes on that proposal until the audit is complete.

At the Feb. 16 regular council meeting, city council endorsed a motion recommending local service providers prioritize residents who have lived in Penticton for at least one year.