Journey Home asking for a little extra help

The Kelowna agency charged with addressing homelessness is again trying to become a charity.

Directors of Journey Home say they believe the addition of some new programs will help the group achieve charitable status. They expect a decision on the application by the end of the year, Kelowna city councillors will hear Monday.

The group’s main funding so far has come from an annual $250,000 grant from City of Kelowna, provincial agencies, and direct donations. But those individuals who’ve provided contributions to the group have so far not been able to claim a subsequent tax deduction.

In 2019, the city and Journey Home representatives inked a five-year agreement with a key aim of reducing homelessness to “functional zero” in Kelowna. The term refers to a hoped-for state where enough housing — in the form of emergency shelters and supportive residential complexes — is available for all those who want to be and can be housed.

A mid-term report on the program to be presented Monday to council will say efforts are progressing toward reducing homelessness in Kelowna.

“Central Okanagan Journey Home Society’s mid-point review clearly demonstrates that significant progress has been made towards this goal, but much work remains to be done,” reads part of a staff report to council.

In recent years, provincially funded construction of new supportive housing units in Kelowna has provided more than 300 units for people who had been homeless, the Journey Home report states.

The group says it has also worked to establish an employment program for people who had been experiencing homelessness; developed campaigns to try reduce the stigma associated with homelessness; created a rental vacancy list distributed to homeless people; launched a Homelessness Helpline; presented podcasts about homelessness in Kelowna; and encouraged more collaboration between all the groups and agencies trying to address homelessness.

Kelowna currently has 660 beds in shelters and supportive housing units, but another 500 supportive housing beds are needed by 2026, Journey Home says.

A provincial report issued in March — based on anonymized data taken from provincial databases such as social assistance rolls and the users of various health and shelter programs — said 999 people experienced homelessness last year in the Central Okanagan.