Homeless campsite on Recreation Avenue in Kelowna to be partially decommissioned

The security company working at the Recreation Avenue homeless camp is not renewing its contract citing "unacceptable liability" so many of the facilities provided for the homeless are being removed.

“The lack of enhanced security support means most of the infrastructure that was added at Recreation Avenue will be removed on Monday morning,” a City of Kelowna news release issued today, Dec. 20, stated.

“As more infrastructure and services were added to the site in December, a new security company that has a staff made up of many former first responders was brought in because of the complex and challenging situations,” Darren Caul, the City’s community safety manager said in the release.

“On Wednesday, Dec. 18, the enhanced security firm contracted by the City advised it will not renew its contract effective Monday, Dec. 23, citing unacceptable liability,” the release states. “Without a security firm with enhanced skill to monitor the site and complexities of the infrastructure to support a diverse population, the current level of service at the site is no longer viable.”

The City said the warming tents and storage facilities will be removed from the Recreation Avenue site, while Interior Health will remove the harm reduction tent.

The toilets sharps disposal and garbage containers will remain at both City sanctioned camping sites. The fencing will remain at Recreation Avenue.

The sites will continue to be cleaned daily by a Parks Services contractor, the City said.

Camping will still be allowed at both site but campers will still be required to pack up their tents by 9 a.m. each morning and not set up again until 7 p.m.

Forty people moved into the Fuller Place bridge housing this week, freeing up beds in the Gospel Mission and Cornerstone shelters. Additional beds and matts will be added to those facilities to accommodate another 26 people.

The Welcome Inn emergency winter shelter is trying to open by Jan. 1 with 20 beds.


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics

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