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Kelowna  

Warming tent at Kelowna rail trail encampment still waiting for full deployment

Warming tent waits

Cindy White

A warming tent has been set up at the City of Kelowna rail trail homeless encampment for weeks, but so far, it has not been used to keep people warm at night.

The temperature dipped to -11 C early Monday morning. However, it did not trigger the activation of a Level 2 Extreme Weather Response Protocol.

“That’s from -10 C to -19 C, and what we’re looking for there is a continuous period of time in which we are achieving those temperatures,” explained bylaw service manager Nick Bonnett.

“That’s where you see additional services being offered, from the warming tent, which is operated by Kelowna’s Gospel Mission, as well as warming buses in various areas of town.”

The warming tent is a new initiative this winter. It was first set up in early December and is being put to use intermittently during the day for things like meal services or to meet with people regarding accessing social services.

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission is ready to roll out the welcome mat for overnight warming services if temperatures stay below -10 C for more than a few hours.

“The outreach services team has been trained. We’ve employed quite a few individuals to be able to assist with operations overnight, should we go into a Level 2 or a Level 3 response,” said Gospel Mission outreach manager.

Bonnett estimated there are between 190 and 210 people who are homeless in Kelowna this winter, with 80-100 camping at the designated site along the rail trail. That’s on par with last year, despite efforts to open up more shelter beds.

“As the only official designated overnight sheltering site, many community partners and primarily bylaw services does encourage individuals who are (outdoor) sheltering elsewhere in the community to utilize that designated space,” said Bonnett.

“So, while numbers there have remained consistent, not risen, I think we’re seeing numbers lower overall in the rest of the community.”

The city is currently in Level 1 response and likely won’t move that up to Level 2 this week because overnight lows are forecast to stay just above -10 C.



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