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Kelowna Homeless

New homelessness coordinator will face big challenge in Kelowna

KELOWNA - When Kelowna’s new homeless coordinator is hired sometime this spring, they will find themselves working with a system that local service providers say is bursting at the seams. NOW Canada’s executive director Liz Talbot says the non-profit society’s 20-bed womens shelter has been running well over capacity for months now, even before the...

Cold, snow force Kelowna’s Gospel Mission to throw open the doors

KELOWNA - Last week’s cold coupled with this weekend’s snow has pushed the Kelowna’s primary homeless shelter to capacity. “We dont turn people away, we are open 24/7 and have been since the cold and snow hit last week,” Kelowna's Gospel Mission's Michael Morrison says. Morrison says the Mission’s 82 mens' beds, 12 step up...

Christmas giving tree warming Kelowna one decoration at a time

KELOWNA - There are no lights or ornaments and it’s not very pretty, but Downtown Kelowna has a new Christmas tree which could make cold nights warmer for the people who need it most. Traci Savel and Sherri Baker started hanging cold weather items on a downtown tree over the weekend. The tree is located...

Makeshift homeless shelter in Kelowna catches fire, scorches building

KELOWNA – A candle in a makeshift homeless shelter is the likely cause of a fire that damaged a commercial building early this morning. At around 6:50 a.m., Nov. 30, as the temperature in Kelowna dropped below -6 Celsius, local firefighters were called to the temporary structure in an alley behind a commercial building on...

Help Kelowna’s homeless before refugees? Here’s how

KELOWNA - Interest in helping the homeless appears to be reaching new highs since Canada announced it would attempt to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada before the end of the year. The move has created significant debate about Canada’s role in settling some of the millions of refugees escaping the Syrian civil war. It’s...

City of Kelowna take lead on homelessness file

KELOWNA - One of the front-line agencies dealing with the homeless in Kelowna is thrilled to see the city step up and provide leadership with plans to hire a full-time homeless coordinator. Local John Howard Society executive director Gaelene Askeland also says the city is on the right track embracing the low-barrier housing first philosophy...

Kelowna city council aims to take lead on homelessness

KELOWNA - Admitting it’s out of touch with current community efforts to combat homelessness, Kelowna city council is hoping to jump into a leadership role by hiring a homeless coordinator and adopting a new, more direct housing strategy. The initiative comes amid signs of increased homelessness in Kelowna, including a doubling in the number of...

Board members to crash at homeless shelter

KELOWNA – In an effort to raise awareness of the problem of homelessness in our community, board members of a local shelter will be sleeping over at one of their own facilities tonight. In support of World Homeless Day, several members of the Inn From the Cold board of directors as well as some volunteers,...

Kelowna homeless sheltering from wildfire smoke at Gospel Mission

KELOWNA – The Kelowna Gospel Mission has decided to keep its doors open 24 hours a day until the smoky conditions clear up. Forest fire smoke from a pair of huge blazes in Washington State has created extremely smoky air in the Okanagan and prompted a special air quality statement from Environment Canada and Interior...

Gospel Mission extends its reach to courtyard

KELOWNA - The Gospel Mission, Kelowna’s single mens shelter, has announced it will build a courtyard next to its Leon Ave. building, with the aim of giving downtown homeless somewhere to go during the day. “Too often during the day the homeless, due to lack of options, are staying in places that put them at...

Inn from the Cold won’t have to close early

KELOWNA – Inn from the Cold will not have to close early, thanks to a funding boost from the province. The temporary winter shelter recently announced it would be closing due to a lack of operating funds. On Friday the provincial government stepped up with a one-time funding of $22,000, which will allow the shelter...

Other shelters step up to help homeless displaced by Inn From the Cold money woes

KELOWNA - It seemed as though lack of funding and subsequent closure of 35 beds at the Inn From the Cold overnight shelter program could mean the end of safe transitional accomodations for some of Kelowna's homeless, but two other charities are stepping forward to announce they have room and nobody will be turned away....

Lack of funding forces closure of Kelowna overnight homeless shelter

KELOWNA - Homeless people in need of a warm place to spend the night will have fewer options next week. In an effort to protect their year-round services, Inn From the Cold is closing their overnight services as of March 1, 2015 due to lack of funding, according to a media release. Normally, the overnight...