A winter storm rolled into the valley Tuesday, marking the time of year that the men and women running Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 shelters start to scramble.
There are rarely enough beds to house the city乌鸦传媒檚 growing homeless population during the coldest days of winter and Inn From the Cold and the Gospel Mission routinely announced they reached capacity in years past as winter hit.
In recent years the Gospel Mission ran the mat program, squeezing more people into the facility than it naturally holds for the worst days.
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乌鸦传媒淚t put pressure on our facility by putting so many people into a small space,乌鸦传媒� said Randy Benson, who is the executive director of the Gospel Mission.
乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 just not the same degree of comfort.乌鸦传媒�
This year, however, there乌鸦传媒檚 a new service provider in town and it乌鸦传媒檚 offered some relief.
The building that once housed A&B Sound music store on Leon Avenue in downtown Kelowna was converted into Cornerstone, a homeless shelter and it opened Nov. 30.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 really lowered the stress level here,乌鸦传媒� said Benson.
乌鸦传媒淏etween the two of us, when we communicate, anybody who needs shelter we are able to keep up with that.乌鸦传媒�
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The Gospel Mission has 90 beds and Cornerstone has 75.
Even still, said Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 John Howard Society executive director Gaelene Askeland, there is a need for people who have yet to come in from the cold. There乌鸦传媒檚 hope that need can be met later this week when some of their clientele move into permanent housing, courtesy of a partnership between the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Housing and the Gospel Mission.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e been full since we opened,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e doing our best to keep the folks we have in there clean, dry, warm, fed and housed.乌鸦传媒�
Each day there are 乌鸦传媒渉iccups and bumps乌鸦传媒� as they nail down a routine, but Askeland said overall it乌鸦传媒檚 been running well.
乌鸦传媒淲e have a great team of staff who are doing a great job and we乌鸦传媒檙e doing the best with what we have to work with,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e grateful we have the space we do乌鸦传媒very day is another opportunity to keep people alive.乌鸦传媒�
Hazardous winter conditions were expected across the Okanagan starting Tuesday and moving into Wednesday.
乌鸦传媒淎 moist Pacific frontal system will bring heavy snow to the southwestern Interior,乌鸦传媒� according to an Environment Canada alert issued Tuesday.
General snowfall accumulation of 20 to 25 cm is expected in Merritt and Kelowna while near Westbank and Peachland, snowfall totals could reach 35 cm by Wednesday morning.
Meteorologists report a deepening Pacific low-pressure system will track across northern Washington state.
乌鸦传媒淭his system will combine plentiful moisture with cool northerly winds near the surface,乌鸦传媒� according to Environment Canada. 乌鸦传媒淭he result will be heavy snow continuing through Wednesday morning for most communities in the southwestern interior and Kootenays.乌鸦传媒�
