Every morning outreach workers bring breakfast items to the outdoor sheltering site in downtown Kelowna, B.C.’s north end.
“Coffee, oatmeal and juice,” said Josh Heinitz, an outreach worker with the Gospel Mission.
But these days, the outreach teams are bringing a lot more than just a bite to eat.
“Blankets, sleeping bags and anything that kind of keeps people warm,” Heinitz told Global News. “We’ve been giving out a lot of those things. As you know, it’s been very cold lately, so we’ve been having very high demand for sleeping bags and for blankets.”
A winter shelter has not yet opened this season and the outlook for one is bleak.
Not only has a suitable site not been secured but staffing shortages are also making it hard to find workers to staff existing shelters.
There are about 150 people living on the streets, many of them at the outdoor sheltering site along the Okanagan Rail Trail.
One of the people living outdoors is Nick Gagnon.
He said he appreciates the items he’s given to help manage in the cold conditions.
“Socks, socks are a big one,” Gagnon said. “The sock game is the most important part of the game when it comes to staying outside … dry feet, stay warm.”
Socks and other donations have been pouring in from the community in recent days.
The Gospel Mission’s executive director credits Global Okanagan News and a story aired last week for the overwhelming response from residents wanting to help those out on the streets.
“Shortly after the news piece went out last week asking for donations, I got a message from my front-line team going, ‘Carmen, did you make a shout-out for donations because we’re busting at the seams,'” executive director Carmen Rempel said. “We had so many people come down, make donations right to our Lyon shelter and to our thrift store. We had to fill up the rafters with all of the donations.”
Rempel said she’s extremely grateful to the community and for the support for those in need.
“I would just like to thank the community for that outpouring of compassion,” she said. “It means a lot for people who are on the street and it means a lot for all of us who are engaged in this work every day.”
Shelter and service providers, including the Gospel Mission, are set to meet with Kelowna’s new mayor, Tom Dyas, on Tuesday to address the homelessness crisis and the lack of a winter shelter.
They’ll also be discussing long-term solutions so that the dire situation doesn’t continue to repeat itself every year.
“It’s a really good opportunity for us to explain what gets in the way and the barriers that we face to winter shelter and the big message that our group is bringing forward is that we really need to be working smarter, not harder,” Rempel said. “Temporary emergency shelters aren’t the answer to homelessness and it’s becoming unsustainable to keep popping them up every winter.”
About two weeks ago, six shelter providers across the Southern Interior penned a strongly worded letter to decision-makers pleading their case that it’s more supportive housing that’s needed, not emergency shelters.
The situation is not isolated to Kelowna.
The urgency exists across the Okanagan Valley and B.C.
In Penticton, it’s estimated 80 people are living outside. In Vernon, that number is around 100.
“It’s hard. It is hard to see because, you know, they just have nowhere to go,” said Heinitz. “So it’s, it’s not easy to see for sure.”
While thankful for the donations it has already received, the Gospel Mission said the need is ongoing and it will continue to accept donations to help people cope during the winter season.
“We need warm winter socks, mittens, jackets and boots are the top things that we’re constantly in need of as well as men’s pants,” Rempel said.
For more information or to make a cash donation, you can visit the Gospel Mission website.