Vernon‘s homeless have once again seen their hopes for a temporary shelter disappear as a lease agreement could not be reached for the Sigalet building on 32nd Street. The lease, which was agreed upon by the owner but never finalized, was discarded when it became clear that concerns held by both parties could not be overcome. “We‘re very, very disappointed,” said Annette Sharkey, executive director of the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan. “The location just didn‘t work out. The whole thing is very complicated and I don‘t really want to go into detail about it.” The situation surrounding the lease became tenuous after a tent city sprung up in the parking lot of the building slated to house the new shelter. The homeless had moved to the parking lot after being asked to leave the parking lot of the Upper Room Mission. Andrew Yeo, manager of the Upper Room Mission, said the decision was made after the area became overrun with drug dealers selling to people who congregated at the site. Media stories focused on the displeasure of surrounding businesses towards the tent city. “There definitely was a backlash,” said Barbara Levesque, executive director of the Howard House, which is currently the only shelter open in Vernon. Howard House is a men-only facility meaning Vernon‘s homeless women have nowhere to find shelter. Levesque called the decision to not go ahead with the lease “truly mutual”, and said no blame could be placed on the building owner. “After everything that happened we just couldn‘t do it. Leases are like a marriage, both sides have to give some things up and both sides couldn‘t do that.” The collapse of the lease agreement , which was supposed to cover a three-month period, has dealt a huge blow to any possibility of a temporary shelter opening soon. Levesque said it is important to remember that it is the homeless who have lost the most with the collapse of the lease agreement. “It‘s these people who are wet, tired and ill. They need to find a place to stay,” said Levesque, “There is no backup shelter. There is no place for people to buy or rent a house. Anyone looking to buy or rent in Vernon knows that.” Sharkey said the dispersal of the people at the tent city means that Vernon‘s homeless are finding places to stay “wherever they can find a spot”. However, both Sharkey and Levesque remain optimistic that a solution will be found. “We‘re not quitters. I‘m talking with realtors at least four times a day and I‘m looking at a different site every couple of days. Something will be found. We‘ve learned a lot from this,” said Levesque.
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