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The calendar is nearing the second weekend of January and Inn From the Cold’s Kelowna shelter remains open.
While that may sound like positive news, the agreement reached between BC Housing and the building’s developer to extend the lease until late January will provide little consolation to the people who call the shelter home.
According to Kelowna’s 2018 Homeless Count, 286 people identified as homeless in a city where nearly all shelters are constantly over capacity, with at least one more shelter scheduled to close in March.
However, as Inn From the Cold prepares to close, a 40-unit supportive housing facility on Harvey Avenue named Heath House will be ready for occupancy by month's end.
It's unclear how many of Inn From the Cold's occupants will make the move to Heath House, but BC Housing confirms it is working with social agencies in Kelowna to find places for the remaining clients.
Next Thursday, a public hearing will be held at City Hall over the approval of proposed 52-unit supportive housing complex on Agassiz Road.
The project has faced strong criticism from the surrounding neighbourhood who worry the complex that will allow drug use could endanger surrounding elderly residents.
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