Complex Care
Complex care housing provides wrap around supports for people experiencing concurrent mental health, substance use, and housing challenges. This housing model supports healthier lifestyles while enabling individuals to remain connected to their communities and reducing hospital visits and interactions with law enforcement.
Complex care advocacy
Complex care is a Council Priority and the City has been a leading and consistent voice in the call for enhanced care and support for B.C residents with complex health and mental health needs.
Our Complex Needs Advocacy Paper was endorsed by Council in 2021, and called for a collaborative, regional, approach to support people with complex needs. Council’s endorsement paved the way for joint advocacy with Vernon, West Kelowna, the District of Lake Country, the City of Kelowna and the Okanagan Indian Band to provincial ministries and senior levels of government for more complex care resources in the region.
- In 2022, the Provincial Government confirmed funding for the delivery of up to 20 complex care housing and supportive housing spaces in Kelowna.
- In 2023, Interior Health and the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions announced the opening of the first complex care housing beds in our community.
- In 2024, the Province announced funding for new complex care centre with up to twenty complex care beds, and up to twenty supportive housing beds.
Due to the level of supports and services provided, Complex care housing can support clients who are experiencing complex mental health and substance use issues, acquired brain injuries and histories of trauma.
Services include:
- Health and mental health care
- Social and cultural supports
- Life skills support and skill development
- Psychosocial rehabilitation support
- Assistance with activities of daily living
Learn more: Complex care housing explained
The Provincial government determines the service model used to support those experiencing homelessness.
The Province’s Housing First model is a recovery-oriented service model that rapidly moves people experiencing homelessness from the street or emergency shelter into stable and long-term housing, where they can access services and supports.
The underlying principle is that people are better able to move forward with their lives if they are first housed, from there they can get support for health and mental health challenges including substance use disorder as well as education, employment and community connection.
Beyond the human costs, there are economic costs to not providing appropriate care for those with complex needs. Housing with supports for people with complex needs not only saves lives, it saves tax dollars because it significantly reduces costs associated with crisis response (e.g. social, healthcare, and justice systems).
In April 2024, the Province announced a new construction Complex Care Centre. The site will provide 20 complex care units, and up to 20 supportive housing units.
The City contributed land to the project and continues to work closely with the Provincial government and other housing and health partners as the project moves into the design and construction stages.
For up-to-date information on the City’s progress on Complex Care and other Council Priorities please visit: Council Priorities Reporting - 2023.
To stay up to date City of Kelowna complex care projects please subscribe to the Housing and Social Development newsletter at kelowna.ca/subscribe.
