Kelowna Homeless
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...