Old brewery turned into winter shelter
A former brewery in downtown Kelowna will open Monday as Kelowna’s fourth wintertime homeless shelter.
Thirty-eight people can sleep on winter nights at 1083 Richer St. in the downtown north end, the previous location of Tree Brewing.
It will become the fourth overnight winter refuge for homeless people in Kelowna.
“We know there’s an urgent need to provide additional shelter and services for people experiencing homelessness in the community, especially during COVID-19,” Attorney General and Housing Minister David Eby said in a government release.
“The pandemic has compounded the challenges faced by vulnerable people, so I’m very pleased to see Kelowna residents ensuring that people in need are supported,” Eby said.
Tree Brewing opened in the building in 1996. The brewery has since shifted its production operations to Vancouver.
A Vernon-based non-profit, Turning Points Collaborative Society, has the $430,000 management contract to run the new homeless shelter, which will be open 24/7. As well as a place to sleep, the shelter will offer meals, showers, laundry facilities, and access to social workers.
Turning Points, once known as Howard House before a name change in 2018, dates back to 1957 and today has 70 staff working in various shelters, residences, and community programs.
“There is an urgent and critical need for this emergency shelter,” Turning Points director Randene Wejr said. “Due to COVID-19 physical distancing requirements, existing shelter capacity has been reduced and, in general, fewer people are able to safely share accommodations. This has led to an increased number of people who find themselves homeless and on the streets.”
When the new shelter opens Monday, the four winter shelters and three year-round shelters in Kelowna will provide a total of about 265 beds.
The government release does not indicate an end-point for the new homeless shelter, saying it will be open until the “pandemic risk to this vulnerable population has passed”.
In early February, a permanent daytime “hygiene centre”, with showers and laundry facilities and a warm place to gather inside on cold days, will open at 1262 St. Paul St.
“While these services address a practical need, we believe the reach goes far beyond and offers dignity,” says Amber WebsterKotak, executive director of Metro Community Church, which will run the centre.
It will be open each day from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m, though its hours will likely be extended to 8 a.m.-4 p.m. when the nearby Welcome Inn shelter, on Ellis Street, closes for the winter on March 31.