A former fruit warehouse in Kelowna’s north end will become a temporary homeless shelter.
On Wednesday, the province announced that the building at 858 Ellis St. will provide around 60 new beds for people experiencing homelessness.
The announcement was made in conjunction with B.C. Housing, the City of Kelowna and the Kelowna Gospel Mission. The shelter will only be temporary since the property is slated to be redeveloped.
The province says Kelowna Gospel Mission will operate the shelter and will have staff on-site 24 hours a day. Residents will be provided meals, laundry, security and support for health and wellness.
“Renovations are underway to convert the existing building into a shelter and are expected to be complete in September 2022,” the Ministry of Attorney General said in a press release.
A non-profit society, the Kelowna Gospel Mission also operates the homeless shelter at 550 Doyle Ave., which will also undergo eventual redevelopment.
“B.C. Housing will continue to work in partnership with the City of Kelowna to find suitable locations for a new permanent shelter and an additional temporary shelter,” said the province.
The province noted that in March 2020, there were at least 297 homeless people in Kelowna, up four per cent from 2018.
One north end resident, Gary Pearson, asked why is the area being singled out for homeless shelters.
“It’s just going to become a real debacle for the people who live in the north end,” said Pearson. “My feeling is this is the wrong choice. The City of Kelowna is quite large when you think of the geographical expanse of the suburbs, city, etc. Find another location.”
Ashok Tyagi, who owns Knox Mountain Market, said the location is worrying.
Tyagi says theft and safety are chief among those concerns, because mostly senior people live in the area.
Meanwhile, Carmen Rempel, the executive director of the Gospel Mission, says the shelter is good news, because it’s taking people off the streets.
“Whether you have all the compassion in the world for people experiencing homelessness, or whether you’re terrified of them and it makes you really nervous,” said Rempel, “either way a shelter is a good news story for you.
“Shelters mean that we’re taking folks who are currently experiencing homelessness outside, where there’s quite a lot of spread across the neighbourhood, and we’re bringing them inside where it’s safe.
“And so that reduces actually the amount of impact there is on the community.”