Some Kelowna businesses aren’t very happy about the plan to plunk 60 tiny homes across the street from them.
The City of Kelowna and BC Housing announced the location Wednesday. BC Housing will be leasing the site for up to 10 years, and will decide who gets to move into the year-round 24/7 temporary housing under the new HEARTH program (Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing).
Keith Dyck, owner of Okanagan Street Food, told Castanet he wasn’t told about the plan until an outreach worker came by his restaurant hours before the announcement. “Are my customers not going to feel comfortable to come to my little restaurant to eat our food because of a homeless camp being directly across the street?”
He says he doesn’t see a lot of good planning, but instead knee-jerk reactions throwing a lot of money at the problem.“This should be discussed. One of the main issues that I really have trouble with is the fact that there’s been really no consulting any of the local business owners at all,” said Dyck.
Over at Ace Courier Services, employees are anxiously watching the development, worried about possible vandalism to vehicles parked right next to the site.
“We do have worries. That land is contaminated, and now they’re putting people on top of it. So that’s a worry. Also, there was a ten year-plan with the city that the owner put a down payment on. So, that should technically be ours for running our business and parking,” said Jamie Schmidt who works in sales at Ace.
He is also concerned for the safety of the tiny home residents because the vacant lot is at a very busy intersection with Ace trucks coming and going at all hours of the day and night.
“We recognize and appreciate that it is difficult news often for area residents and businesses,” said City of Kelowna social development manager Colleen Cornock. “Finding locations is really a complex one.
“Finding a location for supportive housing or shelters is really about available land. Whether or not it’s got utilities on site. So it isn’t really necessarily something that we can advance with a lot of consultation because there are so few sites that are available to us,” Cornock adds.
She says the aim is to have the sleeper units brought to the property in the first few weeks of December. BC Housing anticipates they will be ready for residents to move in by early 2024.
The City of Kelowna is getting 120 of the tiny homes but has not said where the other 60 units will be set up.
