Migrant farm workers are using the Gospel Mission乌鸦传媒檚 services, says the executive director of the shelter.
乌鸦传媒淲hat we see is people coming through with fruit picking (jobs) for the agricultural (sector) and historically what we乌鸦传媒檝e gotten is people from Quebec and (more) recently people from South America, Mexico and that area,乌鸦传媒� said Randy Benson, executive director of the homeless shelter. The workers use the shelter during the summer months, as they work around the Okanagan Valley,乌鸦传媒� he said.
乌鸦传媒淎nd some of those people don乌鸦传媒檛 necessarily stay at the shelter but they use the food service for that sort of thing,乌鸦传媒� he added.
The summertime typically sees the highest number of transient people visiting the homeless shelter, he said, but the farm workers often camp out, so they typically don乌鸦传媒檛 use the shelter乌鸦传媒檚 beds.
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Currently the shelter is operating at capacity, with 76 beds for men and 14 for women.
President of the B.C. Fruit Growers Association Bhupinder Dhaliwal was perplexed when he was asked why temporary farm workers are using the shelter乌鸦传媒檚 resources.
乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 the first I乌鸦传媒檝e heard about, I乌鸦传媒檓 not sure why they would go there to use food services. They乌鸦传媒檙e hired with a contract, they make an income,乌鸦传媒� he said.
He was skeptical about the idea, saying they could be tourists.
乌鸦传媒�(Farm workers) usually don乌鸦传媒檛 travel乌鸦传媒� they乌鸦传媒檙e usually contracted with certain farms. There乌鸦传媒檚 a lot of youth that come out from Quebec and they do help with the harvesting,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淎 late season may mean that workers might visit the shelter to get by for a few days, but 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 not sure why they would be there.乌鸦传媒�
Dhaliwal said there乌鸦传媒檚 no food allowances in contracts, but temporary farm workers make around $13 an hour and work roughly 10-hour days.
He said he would look into the issue.
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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