While some shopkeepers are concerned about the crime in downtown Kelowna, one shopkeeper says she found little to complain about.
Linda Smith has owned and operated the Water Garden Boutique on Ellis Street for 20 years. During this time she has had few problems with crime and wants to address the fear of homeless people in the city center.
“The area around us grew up in such amazing ways. We have restaurants, we have fun bars, we have a lot more shopping and there has definitely been a (change). There are more homeless people and I think there is a lot of fear that is just unfounded, ”said Smith.
Smith said she had few problems with the city’s homeless population, pointing out that there have been times when she has been given a helping hand.
RELATED: West Kelowna homeless in the cold after the shelter is at full capacity
“I was out in the dumpster with my hands full and it was near an alley and I’m not afraid to go there at all. The guy said ‘let me help you with this’ and opened the lid for me, ”she said. “They are only human and there is so much fear and I don’t think it’s entirely appropriate.”
Smith’s shop was broken into eight years ago, but other minor issues.
“I’ve never been threatened, my staff and I work alone 90 percent of the time and (we) were fine,” she said.
She is for Kelowna’s supportive housing project.
“There are many people in need of shelter and the first thing we can do to help them is to put a roof over their heads,” she said. “I mean, it’s where we are in our society. We can’t just shove it under the rug and say, not in my back yard.”
“If people are scared of going downtown, things will get worse.”
For the past seven months, the city has partnered with BC Housing and community nonprofits to shelter Kelowna’s homeless through its Journey Home Housing initiative.
A new support housing project, Heath House, recently opened on Harvey Avenue North near Leathhead Road, home to 50 formerly homeless people. It is operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association.
READ MORE: Kelowna’s Newest Supportive Housing Project Opens
Hearthstone, another residential development on Commerce Avenue that opened in October, and Heath House are both BC Housing projects.
Another housing initiative approved by the Agassiz Road council in January was controversial as some area residents were concerned about drug use. The project will provide 52 housing units for the homeless.
Vancouver Career College dropped its courses in July and moved from its Pandosy Avenue location in January. Citing the homeless shelter across the street, this ensured the safety of its students.
However, Lance Kayfish, community security director for the city of Kelowna, said work needs to be done to address the stigma of homelessness.
Housing initial projects has an advantage over shelters in that it allows individuals to have their own space, which gives them a sense of security and allows them to be proud of something, he said.
It’s often difficult for people to get better at a shelter when they are worried about everyday activities while struggling with mental health issues, personal problems, or other challenges, Kayfish said.
“How does a person dealing with opioid addiction who want to overcome this do, how does they begin to face this challenge when they don’t even know when to brush their teeth in the morning?” he said.
A retired report was published in November by RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon, who has been asked to look into how the city can fight downtown crime.
The report outlined Journey Home Housing’s strategy as well as other “quick fixes” such as more sidewalk cleaning, more downtown garage bins, portable toilets, and a review of the city’s needle collection program.
The former 40-year-old policeman repeated a line he had used in the past and said the city “will not get out of the problem”.
Kayfish said with the number of shelter beds concentrated in the city center, there have been unintended consequences.
RELATED: Nearly 8,000 Homeless People in BC, First Nationwide Census Shows
He said they also hadn’t seen a surge in crime at the 46-unit Commerce Avenue condominium.
The goal of the Journey Home initiative is to have supportive housing units across the city, Kayfish said.
“Things are not perfect. Part of the work that needs to be done is to develop understanding and address stigma about being homeless and looking like they are homeless. That doesn’t mean they are threatened,” he said.
There are a number of factors that lead to homelessness in the city, and he pointed out that this is not a Kelowna-centered problem.
@carliberry_
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Get local stories you won’t find anywhere else straight to your inbox.
Login here
