A downtown Kelowna business owner expresses her anger at what she describes as increasing cases of violence in her business by people who appear to be homeless.
Raegan Hall, who has owned Blond Women’s Retail Boutique in Kelowna for 16 years, posted an open letter to the Kelowna Downtown Business Association on Thursday afternoon.
READ MORE: Advisor estimates Kelowna has nearly 2,000 homeless people
In the letter, Hall said that many of her employees have become increasingly frustrated and apprehensive about the daily incidents with people downtown. Here is her email as written:
Hello again…
My name is Raegan Hall and I have been a downtown Blonde Women’s Retail Boutique store for 16 years. From the trenches, I can tell you that the daily state of our inner city has never been so disappointing. Every day my co-workers report incidents of terrible problems from unsavory customers, the sole purpose of which is to hurl insults, scare and steal my co-workers and customers when they come into my store.
These unfortunate residents have taken over. You have more rights than taxable residents. These are not weekly or monthly disruptions, but DAILY. My employees are afraid to come to work and the locals are less and less coming downtown because of this particular problem. Fortunately, my business thrives in the summer when tourists brave the streets, but even they are choosing to visit alternative destinations due to the increasingly sketchy Kelowna vibe. I’ve traveled a lot and always appreciated visiting the heart of downtown cities and towns.
Downtown matters, and that’s why I originally invested in Kelowna’s in 2004. About 180 companies have closed or moved from our downtown area since I started my business. If this homeless and drugged population is not treated quickly and properly, our once bustling downtown area will become a ghost town inundated by what looks to me like a zombie apocalypse.
I am sensitive to the plight of these people, and the solution is simple: postpone the gospel mission. Our community is growing rapidly. The faster this move can be done, the better.
How can I help?
In an email response to Hall three hours later, Mark Burley, executive director of the Downtown Kelowna Association, said the incident was a widespread problem that was not addressed solely by the Gospel Mission.
While Burley acknowledged the problem was frustrating for everyone, his email highlighted at least one initiative the city is taking to deal with the escalating situation. Here is his answer:
Hello Reagan.
Thank you very much for your email.
The Downtown Kelowna Association is an ongoing contributor to and advocates for all of Downtown Kelowna’s businesses. We consistently deal with the types of people you refer to in your email. It’s a common problem in the inner city and affects us closer to Leon with greater frequency.
This problem is manifold and very frustrating for everyone. The Downtown Kelowna Association’s Downtown on Call and Clean teams are out there every day doing their best to deal with situations and people who pose problems they shouldn’t be dealing with. But they do.
The downtown Kelowna Gospel Mission presence has been here for 40 years. As the social problems change, the influx of people into your facility has grown immensely. This is just one more facet of the social problem we are dealing with.
DKA is in constant touch with the city and continues to work to create change for all of us who work, live and own businesses in downtown Kelowna.
I will continue to update membership with news as soon as it becomes available.
Many Thanks.
Mark Burley
Downtown Kelowna Association
A recent evaluation of housing construction in the Central Okanagan Regional Unit found that the waiting list for affordable housing has increased 109 percent since 2012.
Of that 259 waiting list for applicants, 42 percent are low-income seniors.
@connortrembley
connor.trembley@kelownacapnews.com
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