Residents living near Kelowna supportive housing warn of crime

They've received death threats and had syringes left in their mailbox, strategically placed to injure when opened. 

Now, Kelowna residents living near supportive housing facility Heath House are warning residents of McCurdy and McIntosh roads about the dangers they could soon face in their neighbourhoods.

The couple, who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, say thefts, break-ins and drugs have become a daily occurrence in their neighbourhood since the facility opened.

"Heath House opening up has drastically changed the neighbourhood. There’s fences being put up around houses, complexes and businesses because of constant theft. 

"We’ve had incidents where our lives have been threatened, our dogs have been threatened, just trying to protect our neighbourhood ... and we've been targeted. Because we’ve been very vocal about trying to keep people off our property, they’ve put syringes in our mailbox ... dirty needles placed with the intent of exposing us to various diseases." 

When the couple reported the issues to Heath House, they were told clients weren't committing the crimes and to take photos if they believed otherwise. However, when trying to take photos from a safe distance, the couple have been threatened or attacked with weapons including crowbars and hammers. 

The couple are tired of being painted as naysayers, and say supportive housing facility managers need to take into account the mental health of the communities they are moving into, not just the health of the people living there. 

"It’s not that we don’t have compassion for the people who want housing. It’s the ones coming up here that are the friends of the people in the houses – they house people that are associated with criminals.

"If you’re actually going to a supportive house to get the support you need and get off illegal drugs, get the help you need, get the resources, that’s awesome. But if you’re going there just to get off the streets but still get high, do the drugs, do the crimes, well then get out of those facilities and let the people that actually want the help get the help."

They believe the problem will replicate itself at the McCurdy Road site, and say the best move would be to stop the McCurdy development until the current issues are fixed. 

"It’s just going to move from here, and it’s going to be your neighbourhood."

For residents living near supportive housing facilities going up at McIntosh and McCurdy, the couple advise being diligent with the safety of children and pets, building a strong neighbourhood network and reporting all incidents to the RCMP.