More beds for Kelowna homeless shelter, dozens more needed as cold worsens

The Gospel Mission has been given the green light to add 10 more beds to its temporary Doyle Avenue shelter in Kelowna.

“We had Interior Health come with their environmental health officers to assess how many more we could add within the COVID restrictions. We felt we could adjust the space and accommodate 10 more people,” said Carmen Rempel, the Gospel Mission’s executive director.

But while 10 additional beds will mean 10 more people staying warm and safe at night, there are still dozens of people being left out in the cold, Rempel said.

“Our most recent count looks like there’s about 70 people still sheltering outside in Kelowna on these cold nights” Rempel told Global News. “And so we wish we were adding 70 new beds.”

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With lows dipping well below freezing, finding more shelter space is becoming much more urgent,

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“When people are living outside in freezing temperatures it’s a full-time job for them to try and get warm,” said JoAnne McKenzie, the Gospel Mission’s outreach manager. ” When they are freezing, their brains stop working. They are consumed with trying just to stay alive. My heart goes out to anyone who has to try and live through a winter having no place to go.”

Rempel said efforts to find more shelter space have been underway for months, but haven’t been successful.

“As of now we have nothing, no good news to share,” she said. “I had a conversation with the city last week and they assured me that they’re doing their best with their real estate team to find something. I know that B.C. housing has been working towards that as well.”

Rempel said not finding the kind of space suitable for their needs is a challenge.

“There’s simply not a lot of stuff out there, stuff that would be suited to our very specific needs,” Rempel said “We’re asking landlords to convert their buildings to house a population that can be unstable. That’s a big ask.”.

City councillor Loyal Wooldridge said the city is working actively with B.C. Housing, the agency that provides funding for the service, to secure space for the winter season,

“The work done behind the scenes by City staff and Council aims at bringing people to the table who are able and willing to lease space to meet the needs of vulnerable people,” Wooldridge told Global Okanagan. “Over the longer term, this is a community challenge we aim to overcome by working with the Province and BC Housing to build permanent housing throughout the community.”

As part of its Operation Cold Snap campaign, the Gospel Mission is asking the public for monetary donations so it can provide all the necessary items to keep people as warm as possible this winter season.

To donate, go to: https://kelownagospelmission.ca/donate/

The organization is also collecting winter clothing donations that can be dropped off at its thrift store at 125 Roxby Road.

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