Penticton council agrees on extension of homeless shelter

Shelter security key

Photo: Chelsea Powrie

Flag at half mast at Penticton City Hall after Tumbler Ridge tragedy.

Penticton city council is looking to divert lease money to security money if the province steps up to save a local temporary shelter.

The shelter at 441 Dawson Avenue currently provides a total of 40 beds, plus on-site access to housing supports, case management, outreach services and other connection points to community partners.

It was first intended as a winter shelter, but that was extended year-round, and now a further extension is in the cards.

Its temporary use permit runs out at the end of March. Under a new potential deal, the City of Penticton and partners, including the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, would spend up to $120,000 per year on security costs for the area around the shelter as well as the nearby Compass Court shelter complex.

The province would cover the lease.

"The city [would be] working with our local business organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and the Penticton Industrial Development Association would take the lead on security for the larger area," said Blake Laven, the city's general manager of development, at Tuesday's meeting.

The $120,000 per year is what was already being spent by the city on the lease, shared with the RDOS pitching in $24K.

Now, that budget will be for 24/7 security.

Council voted unanimously to grant the temporary use permit, subject to the provincial funding coming through to cover the lease.

The new lease would extend through 2029, allowing for city staff to come up with more permanent solutions to an ongoing housing crisis.

"The intent is really to buy us more time to get out of this cycle where we're planning for shelters every six months, and to give us time to work on more permanent solutions, be that supported housing, be that other shelter options, be that longer term housing," Laven said.

"So certainly, the intent is to spend the time while we have this temporary use permit to think and to work through more permanent solutions with our partners."