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(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

Even though Kamloops seemed a shoe-in the get the first complex care housing in the B.C. Interior, the nod went to Kelowna.

Twenty beds in a number of as-yet-to-be-determined homes could be up and running in Kelowna by this winter, it was announced, Sept. 7, by the City of Kelowna.

Complex care is a term used to describe those homeless people who have multiple issues affecting their ability to be housed, such as addictions, mental health problems, brain injuries or fetal alcohol syndrome.

READ MORE: B.C. finally has a plan for the most difficult people to house in Kamloops and Kelowna

“The houses are voluntary and are intended to be comfortable and homey, with the intent of helping these folks find some stability and get to a point where they can focus on their health and wellness,” Danielle Cameron, executive director for clinical operations for Interior Health, told iNFOnews.ca.

Interior Health, along with care agencies, will manage the homes.

“Most of the people who will be appropriate for this kind of housing will already be known to our teams as well as other housing providers in the area and will have gone through what’s called the coordinated access process,” Cameron said.

Homeless people already go through that registration process to qualify for other types of homes, such as rooms in supportive housing complexes. Those are larger buildings with 40 to 50 small apartments but are not always suitable for people with complex needs who don’t easily fit into that type of housing.

The complex care homes will be in different locations and have fewer residents with more supports.

Under the direction of a registered nurse or a registered psychiatric nurse, Interior Health and care agencies will provide social workers, occupational therapists, life skills workers, cultural support workers and peer support, Cameron said.

The homes will be staffed 24 hours a day but follow a “harm reduction” model, meaning there may be overdose prevention facilities and access to clean supplies.

This is voluntary housing so residents will be free to come and go but may be subject to house rules that will vary depending on individual needs, Cameron said.

READ MORE: Interior Health aims to open complex care facility this fall

While the homes and care agencies have not yet been selected, once they are, the neighbours will be informed and “community tables” established, similar to what is done with neighbours of supportive housing complexes.

This is just one of the steps needed to deal with the homelessness crisis in many communities, Cameron said.

“To think these 20 beds are going to resolve all the concerns that we have in the community is likely oversimplifying things,” she said. “It definitely is going to make a positive difference for the community and for the people who are brought in to these housing environments and who, historically, have faced real significant barriers to housing.”

This is part of a “continuum” of housing options that will help residents to transition to more independent forms of housing, if they are able to do so.

Last year, Stephanie Gauthier, executive director of the Journey Home Society, estimated there were about 250 people living in Kelowna who needed housing.

“We know that this is always a moving number and the longer that people experience homelessness, the more likely they are to develop complex care needs,” she said in a text message to iNFOnews.ca. “That number is likely higher now.”

Funding of $125,000 per bed was announced in February.

In January, then-Attorney General and Minister of Housing David Eby spoke to Kamloops city council about complex needs.

READ MORE: Supportive housing, complex care priority for Kamloops: B.C. housing minister

"Rest assured that Kamloops has been identified as a priority on a provincial level," Eby told council at the time. “Kamloops is a big priority for me personally.”

Cameron could not say when similar housing will become available in Kamloops.

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