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For many of the 40 residents currently enjoying a warm bed at the Welcome Inn, at Kelowna's Metro Community Church, the next step is complete homelessness again.
City spokesperson Darren Caul admits there is nowhere for some of them to go next.
"That's correct," said Caul. "This is an annual challenge." He underlines the purpose of shelters like Welcome Inn was to get people out of the cold.
"Individuals are offered sheltering through a program funded by BC Housing during the extreme weather period and it's to save lives," explained Caul. "And it is temporary, and it does expire on March 31st."
The prospect of closing the doors when people have nowhere to go underlines the need for more housing.
"We have people who are currently indoors, who were outside a few months ago," Caul added, "and they're going to be back outdoors until such time as we have adequate shelter or housing supply in our city."
Questions arose earlier this week when RCMP Sgt. Greg Woodcox expressed concern about the anticipated influx of people onto the streets he patrols.
"They really have nowhere to go," he observed, "because the shelters down here, the Cornerstone and the Gospel Mission are already full."
Wednesday, 'Chelsea', a manager at the Welcome Inn, said with the end of the month approaching, it's a worry.
"There are people today that have asked me that question, 'where do I go next'," she said, "and I don't have an answer."
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