Journey Home gets funding
Photo: Colin Dacre/file
Kelowna city council has rubber stamped nearly $150,000 in grant funding to the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society.
The federal government funding, which flows through the city, will see the society through to the end of next year.
The item was on the council agenda a week ago, but deferred at the request of Mayor Tom Dyas until council could meet to discuss it as part of its overall priority setting meeting.
Dyas said it was unfortunate the funding item came forward before the new council that meeting.
“Once we had the ability to meet last Friday and go through everything and have discussions on it, we all felt it would be best addressing the current funding ask,” said Dyas.
“Then what we are going to look at doing from there is a review afterwards.
“We thought it would be really good for us to take a look at everything that is happening with that society and how it’s moving forward. But, we said we don’t want to stop the process right now.”
The current MOU allows for the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society to operate until the end of next year. Prior to the expiration of the MOU, the council will do a complete review of the program to determine whether it will continue.
The MOU, signed in 2020, acknowledged beyond the leadership, funding, and support commitments already made by the city, there would be a need for additional ongoing contribution commitments by the city.
The society, and the preceding Journey Home task force were tasked with finding a “made-in-Kelowna” solution to homelessness using best practices, proven methods and situations unique to the city.
The federal funding is part of a standing agreement reached in 2021 and flows through the city since the society does not have CRA status to receive the funds directly.
