Kelowna takes the helm in addressing local homelessness

With the five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City and the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society (COJHS) ending on December 31, 2023, Council’s endorsement of the 2024 preliminary budget marked a major milestone in the City’s newly expanded Social Development department. Earlier this year, Council agreed to assume a leadership and coordination role to address complex, local social issues such as homelessness.  

The new City-led team will build on the foundational work already completed, while also engaging in preventative work to enhance social well-being. Social-serving sector organizations and other partners have always played an important role in the direction of the initial development and implementation of homeless response strategies. This vital collaboration will continue.  

“A key finding of a review in early 2023 was that the sector wanted to see the City take on a greater role in implementation to support community efforts. The City will be deepening our relationship with the local social-serving sector in Kelowna as we move forward,” says Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas. 

The expanded Social Development department will lead and support local community mobilization efforts which align with the City’s broader objective to address current and emerging complex social issues. In addition, the team will increase the focus on long-term upstream prevention of the flow into homelessness, and will support initiatives that address broader housing needs, advance social wellness advocacy and expand partnership opportunities.  Hiring for the expanded team will begin in early 2024.  

Since the homeless response strategies were introduced in 2018, several successes over the last five years were realized, including the building of more than 300 homes with supports in Kelowna; the development of local systems to coordinate social-serving sector response; and, obtaining better data about who is experiencing homelessness in our community. 

“Sadly, the landscape around homelessness has changed significantly in recent years and the number of people sheltering outdoors each night in Kelowna has grown rapidly. We are in the early stages of the City’s transition into the role, and ongoing work will address homelessness and outdoor sheltering in Kelowna and the precursors to homelessness,” says Colleen Cornock, Social Development Manager. 

The City is currently working with BC Housing and other partners to expand supportive housing capacity; add much needed transitional housing through the Provincial HEARTH program which includes 120 new units on both Crowley Ave and Highway 97; and address the immediate needs of the unhoused community during extreme weather events. In addition, the City is in the process of identifying a possible future third site that could accommodate another potential 60 units. Over the coming months, the City will work collaboratively with its housing and social sector partners to reset housing strategies and priorities, to ensure they are well matched to current conditions and challenges, and we can remain responsive and solution focused.