The Canadian Mental Health Association often does not provide shelter for people.
Dani Moretti, director of programmes and services for the CMHAA Kelowna and District, said, “We’re Not. We operate a number of programmes that support supportive housing units and the mental health of our community. Our Concern Is Not With Shelter.
But This Week’s Cold Weather prompted the cmha to do just that.
This week, a 20-Individual Mat Program that Enables People to Come in from the Cold, From 7 p.m. UNTIL 8 a.m., EVERY NIGHT, was opened, according to Moretti. The humane thing to do, in my opinion.
An unexpectedly large number of people are seeking shelter outside during this season.
Around 150 people are thought to be living in Kelowna alone.
Motti remarked With The Need So Great, and Shelters Full, CMHA You have to turn People Away Every Night This Week.
Knowing there is nowhere else to go if they leave this place is really, really difficult, she said.
Every winter, it’s a problem for the resorts, and the shelter providers have had enough.
Last Week, Six Organizations Across The Southern Interior Penned to Strongly Worded Letter to Decision-Makers, Including BC Housing, To Address The Issue Once and for All.
The need for additional supportive housing units is being expressed by the service providers in place of the uncertainty surrounding the availability of suitable shelters and additional staff to staff them.
“We have Strong Feeling That We Will Finally Have The Ear of Decision-Makers Around the Conversation of How Broken The Shelter System Is,” Said Stephanie Gauthier, Executive Director of the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society.
While Journey Home, one of the six organisations tasked with putting an end to homelessness by implementing a supportive housing strategy, wasn’t one of the groups that wrote the letter, it still supports it.
According to Gauthier, “We Totally Support and Echo The Feelings of Our Partners Around This.”
In Kelowna, 318 supportive housing units have been constructed since 2018. However, according to Journey Home, over 500 will still be required over the following four years.
Gauthier stated, “We anticipate that’s Going to Address The Crowd of Growing Needs.”
GAUTHIER claimed that earlier this year she informed BC Housing of the need for 516 additional units; however, to date, nothing has been done to meet that objective.
“We’ve Painted The Picture for What the Housing Need Looks Like for Supporttive Housing, and Here We Are, Six Months Down The Road. She said, “There are no shovels in the ground.
In an email to Global News, BC Housing claimed that it is paying attention to the concert announcements that operators in the interior have forwarded and that it is collaborating with the province to address the “root causes of homesels” and its numerous difficulties.
However, BC Housing remained silent when asked if any plans were being made to address the demand for additional units.
At this time, our BC Housing partners have given us no indication that any development is planned, according to Gauthier.
“Sure, There’s Always Talk About Being Willing to Look at These, But, You Know, Looking at Things Doesn’t Materialize Into Housing,”
BC Housing Also Stated That It Expects More Emergency Shelters Will Open in the Coming Weeks and Months in Many Communities Around the Province.
It added that WHILE FUNDING FOR ADDITIONAL SHELTERS IS AVAILABLE, THERE ARE CHALLENGES IN SUB COMMUNITIES AROUND IDENTIFYING SUITABLE SITES AND SECURING SHELTER PROVIDERS TO OPERATE FACILITIES.
The Community will continue to receive updates from BC Housing and ITS Partners.
Due to a lack of available winter shelters, CMHA in Kelowna, British Columbia, has launched a temporary mat program.
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