Thursday October 12, 2023 | KELOWNA, BC [Updated October 13, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends | HOUSING NEWS SECTION
An memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement between the Province of BC and the City of Kelowna will see 120 (net new) tiny homes built to accommodate people who are currently living in homeless encampments.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the goal is to get the 60 sq ft housing units up and running before winter. They are intended to provide a safe place to sleep. The single-room units are evidently quick and easy to install.
The small private units do not have their own toilets — washrooms will be provided in a shared facility. Meals will also be provided in a shared space (there are no cooking facilities in the private units).
The units are a transitionary option as people are supported and enabled to move into more permanent housing solutions. That may include support with getting a job or mental health supports. Helping the unhoused now, the shelters are intended to be transitional to next-step housing and employment solutions.
Kahlon said he hopes other communities in the Okanagan region will follow suit with similar partnerships and solutions to help break the cycle of homelessness.
The tiny unit setup comes with overhead costs to the province and city for plumbing and other infrastructure.
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Island Social Trends reports news and provides analysis through a socioeconomic lens, with an eye to political impacts. Covering the south Vancouver Island area, across BC, and across Canada where the issues have impact for individuals, households and businesses on Vancouver Island. News is posted daily at IslandSocialTrends.ca .
The founding editor and publisher of Island Social Trends is Mary P Brooke. She has been reporting on the south Vancouver Island region since 2008 and now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery.
Ms Brooke was nominated for a Jack Webster Foundation award in 2023, for contributing to her community through journalism.
Island Social Trends follows in the footsteps of Ms Brooke’s other publications: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), and West Shore Voice News (2014-2020). Island Social Trends was launched during the pandemic in mid-2020 and has posted news daily since then.