Tiny homes for Kelowna's homeless community welcomes first residents
So far, 40 people have moved from Kelowna’s homeless shelters into the individual tiny home units at Step Place on Crowley Avenue.
“People overall are responding pretty positively to the little short stay units and the program,” Patricia Bacon, Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Okanagan and Kootenay, told iNFOnews.ca. “I think people that are moving in are happy that they're having a home to move into.”
The site is managed by the John Howard Society, which will provide daily meals, round the clock staffing, skills training and support navigating the housing system.
Next week the last 20 residents will arrive and all 60 units will be fully inhabited.
READ MORE: 'Inhumane': Dangerous cold required before Interior emergency homeless shelters open
Overall, the site is complete, Bacon said. However, when warmer weather arrives some key design elements will be finished including coloured vinyl wrapping on each of the units, paving and flowers around the site.
Bacon also stressed that these units are not designed for long-term living. Rather, they are a halfway point to get residents into more permanent housing.
Because of this, a specific selection process is necessary to find the right candidates.
“They're really not designed for a person to, say, live there permanently. So, if a person is needing permanent… housing, it may not be appropriate that they would come to Step Place.”
READ MORE: 'Just normal people like everybody else': The reality of homelessness in Kelowna's tent city
The name of the location, ‘Step’, is an acronym for Supported Transitional [Housing] with Embedded Programming.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Housing, this name signifies a step between shelter and permanent housing.
“These spaces are temporary units offering a safe, warm, and secure place for people to rest and access the support services they need. BC Housing will continue working with the city to identify areas to build new permanent supportive housing,” the release read.
For now, Bacon said she and her team are happy with the result.
“I mean, right now we're very happy,” she said. “We're happy with the way the design came out and we're happy with the collaboration that occurred at all levels, the city, BC housing, and our agency to put it all together.”
Each unit is fitted with two shelves, a bed, dresser, mini-fridge, desk, chair and a heating/cooling unit.
The site also features an indoor common space, shared bathrooms and showers and a community kitchen.
READ MORE: Why Kelowna’s homeless don’t get bathrooms in their new tiny shelters
“I feel like we have the… right recipe and so now it's time to sort of let it all unfold and have the time we need to learn what we need to learn, adjust and pivot as needed,” Bacon said.
With people moving into the new units, the city and province have expressed hope that more shelter spaces will be relieved for those living in Kelowna's tent city along the Rail Trail.
According to data from the City of Kelowna, there are currently only ten beds available across Kelowna’s six homeless shelters as of today, March 8.
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