Tiny homes or encampment: Decision looms on contentious Penticton homeless project

Penticton city council is preparing to vote on whether to approve a controversial tiny home project or risk allowing an almost equally-controversial encampment to stay put.

The BC Housing project would house up to 50 people in a set of tiny homes in an effort to transition them out of homelessness, similar to three established projects in Kelowna. It was delayed earlier this month as some councillors decried the inclusion of a safe consumption site.

Coun. Campbell Watt described the imposed harm reduction site as being “held captive” by the province, wanting more time to hear from the public and the option to create a “dry” facility, meaning no drug consumption would be allowed.

But the project would also allow for a shutdown of the controversial Fairview encampment.

“If we say no, then the encampment stays — simple as that — because there’s no where for them to go,” Mayor Julius Bloomfield said at a Nov. 4 council meeting.

Council, warned that BC Housing may pull the project altogether if it’s delayed too long, voted to give the public more time and more information before making their decision. Only Coun. Isaac Gilbert was opposed.

The BC Housing project is part of its Heart and Hearth program, like the Kelowna tiny homes built before it. Part of the deal is a requirement it include a safe consumption site along with the 50 homes, but its overall goal is to transition people into longer-term housing, rather than relying on low-barrier shelters.

According to homeless statistics, almost 90 per cent of homeless people in Penticton are using drugs or alcohol in some form with most also dealing with some type of mental health challenge.

Bloomfield said many residents in the tiny homes would likely use drugs anyway, so the safe consumption site will save lives.

Numerous residents wrote to council to voice their opposition before the Nov. 4 meeting, some over the location and some to oppose the project outright. Since the vote to delay the project, BC Housing and city officials have hosted information sessions with the public to explain the proposed tiny home proposal.

Staff reviewed dozens of locations and landed on 2088 Dartmouth Drive. It’s City-owned land in an industrial neighbourhood with an attached dog park.

Meanwhile, the Fairview encampment a couple kilometres away has more than 40 people staying there despite being taken down earlier in the year. BC law would restrict the city from taking down the camp without having alternative shelter in place, so the tiny home project is meant to offset the need.

Council is expected to make a decision on the project at a council meeting, Dec. 2. If a decision is delayed again, it’s expected BC Housing will pull the funding for the project.