A town hall meeting in West Kelowna last night covered some the biggest issues facing the community in years homelessness, crime, supportive housing and discarded drug needles.
A town hall meeting in West Kelowna last night covered some the biggest issues facing the community in years – homelessness, crime, supportive housing and discarded drug needles.
Over 200 people expressed their concerns to community representatives.
Health experts also attended to explain programs like 'Harm Reduction,' through which drug users can obtain free needles.
Dr. Silvina Mema with Interior Health pointed out that harm reduction is not enabling people to use substances; it is keeping people alive until they are ready to recover.
“Harm reduction includes giving needles to people, giving syringes to people so that they can use those syringes and not get HIV and hepatitis and other communicable diseases and most importantly to have a connection to a health provider who handles those needles and then gets them back so that we can dispose of them properly.”
In terms of improving the recovery of those needles, there is still work to be done.
“The good news is the government is addressing the gaps in services and we are well on track to addressing those issues,” said Dr. Mema.
Many speakers zeroed-in on a temporary homeless shelter, which they say is the source of the city's problems.
A representative with the West Kelowna Shelter Society stated that individuals who stay longer in the shelter are given ongoing support and services.
“Since we've opened, we have housed 206 people, we have saved 25 lives, we are supporting a practicum student to get her social work degree and then eventually work with us, and we have four residents who have full time employment. Since May 15th, 2019, five people have been housed and since May 1st, 2019, we have had to turn away 32 people.”
They're no longer 'warehousing' people but have been moving from a 'survive' to 'thrive' model.
Like other municipalities struggling with the issues of homelessness and drug addiction, there is not yet a clear path forward.
Cities like Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton don't have the budget or the authority to deal with vital treatment programs.
Mayor Gord Milsom said emotions ran from deep compassion to fear, with some calling for a bigger police presence.
He believes one thing they do have the responsibility for is public safety.
“We want to make sure that children, when they get off a bus, they walk home safely. We want to ensure that when the seniors are walking downtown that they don’t feel threatened. We want to reduce the amount of break-ins in businesses. We want to make sure employees, when they leave work, they’re not nervous about getting to their car before they go home,” said Milsom.
Milsom told AM 1150's Early Edition when it comes to addictions and mental health treatment, all the city can do is lobby the provincial government.
City council and community agencies will now draft an action plan to address residents' concerns
