Filling gaps for homeless

A Penticton man is opening up his own organization aimed at helping the homeless, after noticing the gaps in care that current facilities in town offer. 

Tom Cowles felt the weather getting colder this fall and saw people on the streets, so he decided action needed to be taken.

"The gap that I see that's getting wider in town as far as availiblity of rental units, and income not matching rental units, I thought there might be a need," Cowles said. 

He wasn't sure exactly what that need was, so he decided to start by reaching out around town to find a space he could house his new organization while he fine-tuned its goals. Minister Colin Cross of St. Andrew's Presbyterian agreed to let the church’s kitchen and adjacent property be used to help the homeless with basic tasks like laundry and showers and some meals. 

"As a minister, Presbyterian or otherwise, you're always looking for ways to take down the walls of the church, and both welcome people in and somehow encourage the people who come here regularly for spiritual nurture and so on to move out into the world and to become present to the needs of other people," Cross said. 

The small building adjacent to the church on Wade Avenue houses the church's office, and now its second half houses Cowles' as-yet unnamed organization. Starting on Monday, the door, accessed through the alley, will be open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday for two weeks, offering washrooms, showers, laundry and some food. 

Cowles will be using the two-week period to determine how best to utilize the space's resources. 

"So this place is a home base, to try and diagnose what exactly are the needs in town," Cowles said. 

He said too often, the homeless population is forgotten about or viewed as inhuman, a stigma he wants to help change. Andy Leroux, whom Cowles met earlier this year and offered a place to sleep on his couch, has had troubles with housing of his own, and agreed that the homeless are often painted with too broad a brush.

"The people who are here in October, November, December and in the wintertime, these are people who are really down and out," Leroux said. "Sometimes, they just need something, a little boost, or a sympathetic ear." 

Eventually, Cowles hopes to provide spots to sleep for those who need it, but for now, he just hopes to be of help.

"If a person comes in and says they need a jacket, I know where to go for that jacket. So either we'll drive them there, we'll get them that jacket, or maybe we'll have them on hand. We'll see how it all plays out."

Cowles already has volunteers on hand to help with operations, but will be looking for more as the organization expands.