Kelowna's tiny home transitional housing project will begin to welcome residents in two weeks

Tiny homes set to open

UPDATE: 11:30 a.m.

Sixty people who've been living in Kelowna shelters this winter will get their own roof over their head by the end of the month.

Friday morning, BC Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon came to Kelowna to announce the coming opening of STEP Place at 759 Crowley Ave, a 60-unit tiny homes project near the Rail Trail encampment. People will begin moving in within the next two weeks.

“We recognize the immediate need to bring unhoused people in Kelowna indoors and provide them the care they need,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “That is why the rapid opening of these units is significant as it means more people now have access to a safe and warm place to stay. Through this housing, people experiencing homelessness can be supported as they stabilize and move forward with their lives.”

Each 60-square-foot unit is outfitted with storage shelving, a bed, dresser, mini-fridge, desk, chair and a heating/cooling unit. The site includes an indoor common space with a community kitchen.

The project is part of the province's Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) program. The province provided a total of $5.4 million for the creation of STEP Place, along with an undisclosed annual operating fund.

Coming from shelters

Those moving into the new homes will largely be coming from local shelters, focusing on people who are ready for more independent housing.

“The idea behind HEART and HEARTH funding ... is that it would work towards fewer numbers within encampments,” said Kelowna mayor Tom Dyas. “But the process of establishing fewer numbers within encampments is that the individuals who would come to STEP Place would come from existing shelters, so that would then open up space within the existing shelters, so individuals who are currently in encampments could then move into the shelters.

“I believe we are always going to have a certain section of the population who are uncomfortable moving into shelters or some are not even potentially allowed to go into shelters ... the effort here is to create a path forward.”

Kahlon says those living in STEP Place will also have access to further supports, meals and other life-skills training.

"There's a table that we've created that looks at individuals case-by-case to identify who is a good fit for the supportive housing, and trying to have a right mix of individuals with their needs at each location," Kahlon said.

"In the end, our goal is that people are ready to come into this housing but also that people are set up for success."

During Friday's announcement, Kahlon noted that Kelowna is a model for how municipalities can work with the province to secure housing quickly.

“These 60 units, built in just four months, show how governments and organizations can work quickly to address homelessness challenges,” said Dyas in a statement. “We are grateful to the Province for investing in our community.”

24/7 staffing

The site will be managed by non-profit John Howard Society of Okanagan and Kootenay, and there will be 24/7 staffing on-site. Those moving into the homes will be assessed and matched with “appropriate supports,” such as substance-use and mental-health treatment, the province says.

Patricia Bacon, executive director of the John Howard Society of Okanagan and Kootenay, said the goal for residents of STEP Place is for their stay to be "as brief as possible."

"That is on a case-by-case basis," Bacon said. "The idea is that it's a stepping place, but brevity can be highly variable for people and their needs. So we're not putting a time clock on that for people, because that can just be a source of stress for people."

The province also announced that Trailside Transitional Housing, a separate 60-unit tiny homes project located at 2740 Highway 97 N., is expected to be completed in April 2024.

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ORIGINAL: 11:05 a.m.

B.C.'s Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon and Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas are making an announcement Friday morning about the tiny homes transitional housing project that is being set up near Kelowna's Rail Trail encampment.

The 60 units, called STEP Place, will be set up 759 Crowley Avenue and will be run by the John Howard Society of Okanagan and Kootenay.

The homes started arriving at the site last month.

Another 60 modular work-camp-style homes will also be set up at 2740 Highway 97 North early this year.