Kelowna, British Columbia CMHA launches temporary mat program amid local winter shelter shortage – Okanagan

The Canadian Mental Health Association does not generally work to protect people.

“No,” said Dani Moretti, Director of Programs and Services for CMHA Kelowna and District. “We run many programs that support mental health and supportive housing units in our community. Shelters are not our job.”

But the cold weather this week has pushed the CMHA to do just that.

“This week we launched a 20-person mat program to get out of the cold every night from 7pm to 8am,” said Moretti. “It’s really humane.”

More people are sheltering outdoors than ever before this season.

In Kelowna alone, it is estimated at about 150.

Moretti said the need was so great that the shelters were so full that the CMHA had to evict people every night this week.

“It’s really, really challenging because I know if they’re not here, there’s nowhere else to go,” she said.

This is a recurring problem every winter, and it annoys shelter providers enough.

Last week, six organizations in the Southern Interior wrote a strong-worded letter to decision-makers, including BC Housing, urging them to address the issue once and for all.

Service providers want more supportive housing units rather than uncertainty about finding suitable shelters and workers to add staff.

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Stephanie Gauthier, executive director of the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society, said, “We have a strong feeling that decision makers will finally have ears for the conversation about how broken the shelter system is. .

Journey Home, whose mission is to end homelessness by implementing supportive housing strategies, was not among the six organizations that wrote the letter, but it stands by it.

“We fully support and reflect our partner’s feelings regarding this,” Gauthier told Global News.

Since 2018, 318 supportive homes have been built in Kelowna. But he needs more than 500 over the next four years, according to Journey Home.

“We expect this to address a large number of growing needs,” said Gauthier.

Gauthier said he made BC Housing aware of the need for an additional 516 units earlier in the year, but so far there has been no action to reach that target.

“We’ve been painting a picture of what the housing needs look like for supportive housing, six months later. No shovels on the ground,” she said.

In an email to Global News, BC Housing said it was listening to concerns raised by Home Office businesses and working with states to address the “root causes of homelessness” and its many challenges. rice field.

However, BC Housing could not comment on whether anything was underway to address the additional units sought.

“At the moment, there are no indications from BC Housing partners that development is planned,” said Gauthier.

“Certainly there is always debate about the willingness to consider these things, but as you know, considering things does not make housing happen.”

BC Housing also said it expects more emergency shelters to open in the coming weeks and months in many communities across the state.

Funding for additional shelters is available, but some communities have challenges in identifying suitable locations and having shelter providers to run the facilities, he added.

BC Housing and its partners will continue to update the community.

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