Photo: Colin Dacre
A homeless camp is being disbanded in downtown Kelowna on Saturday morning
The former downtown Kelowna Daily Courier home will serve as a shelter for the homeless this winter.
The building at 550 Doyle Avenue will have approximately 40 beds and will be operated by the Kelowna Gospel Mission.
The Doyle Avenue location is adjacent to the Welcome Inn at 1265 Ellis Street, which served as an emergency shelter last winter, and will continue to provide 39 beds this year, operated by the Metro community. The opening is planned for November 2nd.
Metro Central at 1262 St. Paul Street will continue to operate as a point of contact with additional emergency mats for surge capacity in extreme winter weather.
“The hygiene center, which was open to assist the homeless during the summer, was closed to train staff and prepare the space for winter shelter,” said Amber Webster-Kotak, general manager of Metro Community. “We are excited to offer these important services to our community this year.”
UBC Okanagan and the mission group recently purchased the building with a plan to build a new campus in downtown Kelowna, but they won’t demolish the building for some time.
“This region will be stronger when we build capacity through partnerships and collaboration,” said Lesley Cormack, UBC Vice Chancellor and Director of UBC Okanagan. “Our university is committed to these partnerships and works to find solutions to the challenges faced by members of our community.
“In this year of the pandemic in particular, there is an urgent need for winter accommodation,” says Cormack. “With this initiative – with the Kelowna Gospel Mission running an animal shelter on a site that will be redeveloped next year – there will be much-needed help for people affected by homelessness in the coming winter months. Establishing a well-equipped emergency shelter with appropriate qualified personnel and a range of on-site support services is a useful way for our community to help improve the health and wellbeing of those most in need. ”
There are currently four emergency shelters in Kelowna, and with these two additional locations, a total of approximately 217 beds per night will be available this winter. Shelter guests have access to daily meals, storage space for their belongings, washrooms and amenities. The staff is always on site when the shelter is open.
