Kelowna to build tiny home village in North End neighbourhood for homeless people

The City of Kelowna, B.C., is converting a vacant lot in the city's North End neighbourhood into a 60-unit tiny home village as part of an initiative to provide interim housing for people living on the streets.

Kelowna announced the location of the tiny home projectthis week, after it signed an agreement with the province last month to bring a total of 120 new temporary housing units to the city this winter.

The site for the tiny home village is getting a mix of reactionsfrom thebusiness community in the area, with some expressingfrustration and concerns about safety for the project's future residents. The city plans to erect the tiny homes on a city-owned lot at 759 Crowley Ave. in Kelowna's industrial, North End neighbourhood.

Peopleliving in a nearby homeless encampmentalong the Okanagan Rail Trail are applauding the initiative and its location, but say it should have been built before winter.

The supportive housing unitswill each be 60 square feet and contain a bed, a dresser and access to a communal bathroom and kitchen facilities, according to Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, who announcedthe project last month.

The single and double-occupancy units are made by a company in Washington state and can be assembled in under an hour, according to Mayor Tom Dyas.

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Anon-profit organizationwill providemeals and skills training to help residents navigate the housing system, according to thecity.

"This is an innovative approach that brings swift and meaningful action to our community," Dyas said in a written statement.

"This addresses housing gaps, helps people transition to safe, dignified shelter and ultimately reduces the number of individuals sheltering outside."

Constructionis expected to be completed in early 2024, according to the city, with a second 60-unit modular housing project to follow at a differentlocation.

In 2021, Kelowna designated a stretch of land along the Okanagan Rail Trail as an overnight sheltering location.Since then, the homeless encampment has grown, with more than100 people living there in tents.

The new tiny home village will be located across the road from the entrance to the encampment.

"That's a good spot for it. It's about time to help us out," said Garth Gorrell, who has been living in a tent with his wife Debbie Houghtaling for more than two years.

The couple questioned the timing of the project, however, noting a cold snap hitKelowna in December last year.

"It should be faster. People are going to get cold, sick," said Houghtaling."I had pneumonia twice last year and I have already had it once this year."

'It's not the right location'

Reaction from people who work on the other side of the vacant lot, across from the village site, is mixed.

Ace Courier sales manager Jamie Schmidt said the City of Kelowna informed his companyjust hours before it announced the location of the social housing project.

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"We're sour about it. I mean, we're not against homelessness at all, you know, and if they need a place to stay, sure, but it's not the right location," Schmidt said, addinghis company has had issues with break-ins since the nearby encampment was established.

He also questioned the decision to put theproject on a lot at a busy intersectionin the industrial neighbourhood.

"We're just concerned for [the new residents'] safety as we have trucks coming in all the time," Schmidt said.

"They're right next door to us. You don't want to hurt somebody."

A few doors down, restaurateur Keith Dyck, who owns Okanagan Street Food, said he too found out about the project just hours before it was announced.

"I would have hoped that we would have at least had a discussion, you know, maybe as business owners in the area we couldhelp out with ideas of how this could be managed properly andwhat our concerns are,"Dyck said.

'We all deserve to be warm'

Apart from that, Dycksaidas long as the site is properly managed, he's supportive of theproject, adding that his company handsout hot soup and food to people living at the encampment as a way to "pay it forward."

"We all deserve to be warm, sheltered, with facilities for washrooms," Dyck said.

"There's a potential that it could affect our business and if it's managed properly, it won't. There's nothing to be afraid of people that are homeless. They're all human and we all bleed red. And we've got to make sure that wedon't look past that."

According to the city, the tiny home village will have 24-hour staffingand individuals moving into the new homes will be assessed and matched with support services.

A recent count found 297 people experiencing homelessness in Kelowna, compared with other Interior cities like Vernon (224), Penticton (206), and Penticton (114).