Homeless shelter finally evolves

By Richard Rolke - February 03, 2008

A major hurdle in addressing the needs of Vernon’s homeless population has been overcome.The Chinese Freemason’s building, at 2800 33rd St., has been purchased for an emergency shelter for men and women and improvements will begin soon. “Within two weeks, we will start renovations,” said Barb Levesque, executive director of the John Howard Society, which will operate the facility. It’s hoped the shelter — with beds for 10 men and 15 women — will open sometime between June and September. The provincial government is contributing $978,000 towards the $1.1 million purchase and renovation project. The remainder of the money will come from fundraising.The provincial government will own the building and lease it to the John Howard Society. There were few options for a shelter, so Levesque is pleased the Chinese Freemason's building was identified. “It’s downtown and close to the services they access,” she said of the homeless.

The shelter has raised concern for adjacent businesses, who currently face a number of problems.“The drugs and prostitution are getting worse,” said Ed Kendall, owner of International Trendsetters, adding that the shelter will only have 25 beds. “With the people they turn away, what happens to them?” Dodd’s Auction is right next door to the property.“I’m not happy about it but the shelter has to go somewhere,” said Bob Woodman, owner.“We have to figure out how to make it the best we can.” A meeting was held with surrounding property owners Thursday.“They are very real concerns. They are already living with increased crime,” said Levesque.“We will work with them. We want their input on the design and security measures. We are confident that what we are doing will make things better downtown but we have to prove it to the business community.”Another shelter site was lost last year after it was identified and some homeless people set up a tent city on the site. Organizers hope such a situation can be avoided this time.

“It will be made clear that they move on immediately. The agencies involved can’t accommodate them until renovations are done,” said Annette Sharkey, Social Planning Council executive director.“B.C. Housing will work with the RCMP to move people off that location.” The shelter will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with two staff on duty at all times. The province is providing $530,000 in ongoing annual operating funding for staff and programs. The women’s shelter beds will be operated through a partnership with the Vernon Women’s Centre. Juliette Cunningham, Women’s Centre chair, is confident the shelter will help the community address social issues such as substance abuse addiction and mental health.“It’s a first step for us to provide the time to dedicate ourselves to services,” she said.During renovations, the two temporary shelters in Vernon will continue to operate 12 hours a day.

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Shelter Must Move ahead - Editorial Morning Star

After a seemingly endless search, Vernon will soon have its first permanent homeless shelter. And while that is a dubious distinction, the reality is that such a facility is required to meet the needs of residents who can’t find a place to live for a variety of reasons. It should also be pointed out that a shelter will hopefully help address some of the social problems in the community, particularly downtown. If many of our homeless citizens have somewhere to go at night, they may not fall victim to the drug dealers and the related activities of crime and prostitution. But as much as a shelter is needed, the organizers must realize that such facilities can draw a questionable element and that poses a safety risk for adjacent businesses and residential neighbourhoods. They can’t be ignored and it appears the agencies behind the shelter have no intent of doing so. In fact, they have put considerable thought into planning the permanent shelter and ensured there is a steady source of funding. Both the John Howard Society and the Vernon Women’s Centre also have a track record of operating temporary shelters.With renovations soon to begin, we would hope the merchants would avail themselves of every opportunity to provide input on the design of the building and security measures. Only by being active participants in the process can their concerns be addressed.There must also be restraint shown by the homeless until the shelter opens later this year. No one wants a repeat of last summer’s tent city which upset many residents and set back the search for a permanent location.In the end, the next few months are critical if a homeless shelter is to succeed long-term.