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Shannon Lake neighbourhood

Housing

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  What's new

At the Nov. 28, 2023 Regular Council Meeting, Council endorsed the West Kelowna Housing Strategy, which explores the policy tools and actions needed to address housing attainability and affordability, supply, and a diversity of types. It seeks to fill gaps in a coordinated approach involving municipal, provincial, and federal governments together with our community, housing providers and service groups. The final plan incorporates Council, stakeholder and community feedback obtained this past summer. It also provides measurables for monitoring newly created housing units.

Learn more about the West Kelowna Housing Strategy:

  • Read the full report to Council
  • Watch the Nov. 28, 2023 Council Meeting webcast
  • Read the Housing Strategy What We Heard Report
  • Read the West Kelowna Housing Strategy

Housing plays an important role in health and our community's well-being.

We want to be a place where people can call West Kelowna home and to make this possible, a variety of housing types and tenures are needed for our young city. Using the concept of a housing continuum, the City continues to strive towards different housing options for residents.

Housing Continuum

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation has developed the housing continuum to visually demonstrate the forms of housing tenure. The continuum includes a wide range of housing options available in our communities, from temporary options such as emergency shelters for people who are experiencing homelessness, to more permanent housing such as rental and home ownership. The continuum isn't intended to imply progression towards home ownership – it simply represents the full range of options that match people’s needs and preferences with appropriate forms of housing and supports (if needed).

Key initiatives are underway across the region for different aspects of the continuum. The City has completed a Housing Needs Assessment in 2022, participated in the Regional Housing Strategy (RHS), and completed a Unique Identifier Count (UIC) in 2022. The UIC provides insight at a community-level on the types of homelessness, housing instability and support needs known anecdotally throughout the community and not usually captured by a traditional Point-in-Time Count. In early 2023 the City is undertaking our first West Kelowna Housing Strategy.

The City's Role in Supporting Housing

The City supports housing through a number of actions within its regulatory abilities. While the factors that affect housing demand are largely beyond the control of local government, the City supports our community's housing needs through:

  • Land use outlined in the Official Community Plan that provides the direction of how we grow

  • Regulation that guides location and type of housing that can be built in the community

  • Policies and programs that supports development of attainable and non-market housing options

  • Collaboration with agencies, non-profit and private sector partners to deliver much-needed housing supply 

  • Advocacy with the provincial and federal governments on a range of housing issues

The City also continues to work with BC Housing to establish longer term transition and supportive housing in West Kelowna as part of addressing the attainable housing continuum for the Greater Westside. The goal is to partner with the Province of BC and social agencies to support and increase the opportunities for safe, attainable and accessible housing that meets our diverse community needs. We are also collaborating with Westbank First Nation and BC Housing to determine all viable land and facility opportunities to serve the Greater Westside.

West Kelowna Housing Resources

To support community members with housing service navigation, including those community members who are unhoused, here are some housing resources:

  • Housing Resources Information
  • Government of British Columbia - Housing and Tenancy

Housing Initiatives in West Kelowna

The City of West Kelowna has undertaken a number of housing studies to gather information to inform priorities for managing current housing needs across the housing spectrum and prepare for the future needs of the community.

West Kelowna Housing Strategy
About the Project

The City has prepared its first Housing Strategy to address local housing needs through achievable and collaborative policies and actions. Building on the recently completed Housing Needs Assessment and Unique Identifier Count, the draft Housing Strategy identifies a set of strategies and actions to improve housing throughout the community. 

While this Housing Strategy outlines a roadmap for City action on housing, it acknowledges that improving housing outcomes in the community requires commitment and collaboration from the entire housing sector, including provincial and federal government, non-profit housing providers, and private developers. Successful outcomes also require the ongoing support and engagement of the broader community.

The Four Key Directions

The key component of the Housing Strategy is the Key Directions section, which outline various actions that are intended to address the community’s housing needs related to supply and affordability, strengthen the City’s role in housing, and facilitate collaboration with other levels of government and the private and non-profit sectors. Each action is categorized based on level of impact, effort, and implementation timeframe:

  1. Create more opportunities for non-market housing.

  2. Protect and increase market rental housing.

  3. Create more opportunities for housing for under-served demographic needs (especially seniors, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, diverse household sizes, and others).

  4. Create more options for housing throughout the community through more diverse forms and densities.

Read the West Kelowna Housing Strategy

Key Dates of the Project

Linking the Housing Strategy to the Official Community Plan

The City of West Kelowna’s Official Community Plan (OCP) describes the City’s long-term vision and include objectives and policies to help direct growth within the community. The Housing Strategy intends to complement the direction set out in the OCP by providing high level guidance towards future policy and bylaw development to accommodate growth that meets our community’s diverse housing needs.

Housing Continuum
The project explored policy tools and actions that can address housing issues, including attainability, supply and diversity of housing, and the needs and gaps across the housing continuum. A coordinated approach between various levels of government (i.e., Municipal, Provincial, and Federal), the development community, community housing providers and other community service providers is key to ensure the Housing Strategy can meet the needs of current and future residents and confront the challenges of housing affordability, supply, and diversity within the City.
A healthy housing system has a diversity of housing options and is represented by the housing continuum (see graphic below). The housing continuum provides opportunities for safe and healthy housing to support an individual over the course of their life, recognizing that individual and family needs change over time. The housing continuum is not linear or progressive. The West Kelowna Housing Strategy identifies housing actions to improve housing diversity and options across the housing continuum:

West Kelowna Housing Needs Assessment
The Housing Needs Assessment conducted in 2022 builds on the Regional Needs Assessment completed by the Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO) and to capture any unique community needs.

The report is used as a guide to recommend strategies and best management practices for our West Kelowna Housing Strategy.

Read the report: West Kelowna Housing Needs Assessment

Westside Unique Identifier Count

Council received a report on the outcomes of the Unique Identifier Count (UIC) on Jan. 10, 2023. This initiative builds on the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and provides a better understanding of homelessness and housing instability in the community. 
View the presentation and Report to Council.

 Regional Housing Strategy

The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) has developed a Regional Housing Strategy (RHS) to explore tools and actions that can address housing issues, needs and gaps throughout the Central Okanagan.

The strategy’s objective is to develop a regional approach to direct how to move forward to address challenges around affordability, supply, and supportive housing across the region and improve coordinated action. The RHS will focus on the regional district as a whole to identify a range of actions at the local level specific to non-market and market housing in the two electoral areas, District of Peachland, City of West Kelowna, City of Kelowna, District of Lake Country, Westbank First Nation, and Okanagan Indian Band.

Read the report: Regional Housing Strategy

Social Housing in West Kelowna

Social housing is government subsidized and these facilities are typically owned or operated by either the government or a non-profit housing partner.

Social housing serves those struggling with or at risk of homelessness, low-income seniors and families, those displaced by domestic violence, individuals with disabilities, and countless other members of our community who are in need of help to sustain a safe and secure home.

 West Kelowna Temporary Shelter

On the Greater Westside, there are 42 warm beds available for people experiencing homelessness. This facility, located at 2515 Bartley Court, is a partnership between BC Housing and Turning Points Collaborative Society with support from the City. The temporary modular shelter offers:

  • kitchen
  • hygiene facilities
  • common areas
  • individual rooms

The Shelter provides a safe space for staff and shelter guests who are 19 or older who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. 

Learn more about BC Housing's services, programs and facilities through their online resources:

  • bchousing.org/home

  • Bartley Road Shelter fact sheet

Bartley Court Temporary Shelter

  • Address: 2515 Bartley Court, West Kelowna
  • Operator: Turning Points Collaborative Society
  • Website: Turning Points Info AND BC Housing Info 
  • Phone: 250-542-3555
  • Email: info@turningpoints.ngo

West Kelowna Resources

To support community members with service navigation, including those community members who are unhoused, the City has created two resource lists.
  • West Kelowna Community Resources
  • Housing Resources
West Kelowna Rapid Rehousing Program

The Rapid Rehousing Program in West Kelowna was created as an alternative to shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness. The program operates out of a hotel and provides support to up to 35 people, who are actively engaged in transitioning out of homelessness. 

Many of the clients in this program are experiencing homelessness for the first time, and they are working to obtain market housing or transition into a residential treatment program.

  • Location: Provided at registration 
  • Operating hours: 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
  • Eligibility: Anyone over the age of 19 who is facing barriers to housing or experiencing homelessness
  • Free services provided: While staying in the Rapid Rehousing Program in West Kelowna, clients receive intensive case management, stay in a private room with a bathroom and receive two meals per day
  • Referrals and registration: Referrals come from community partners in Kelowna and West Kelowna. West Kelowna residents are prioritized, and Kelowna clients are accepted as availability allows.  Referral Channels include: West Kelowna Coordinated Access Table, Shelter and Outreach Service Providers, Other partner agencies (i.e. IHA) *No Walk ins or self referrals.

For more information or if help is needed outside of the times listed above contact:

Regional Manager, Southern Interior

  • Tara Tschritter
  • Phone: 250-241-2330
  • Email: tara.tschritter@turningpoints.ngo
  • Website: Turning Points
West Kelowna Women's Shelter

The West Kelowna Women’s Shelter was built for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. The  building in West Kelowna has 10 transition house/emergency units, where women can stay for up to 30 days. These units are meant for women immediately fleeing a domestic abuse situation.
There is also 32 second stage units for women and children who have experienced domestic abuse and need time and programming to further support their healing journey. Women can stay in second stage for up to 12 months. Second stage units range from 1 – 4 bedrooms.

  • 24-hour helpline: 250-763-1040
  • 24-hour textline: 236-970-0704
Seniors Housing
Seniors Outreach & Resource Centre offers a housing directory for seniors living in the Central Okanagan looking for low-income, supportive, long-term and assisted living housing. Here is a list of seniors' housing in West Kelowna:
  • Central Okanagan Co-Operative: 2421 Last Rd. (34 units seniors 55+)
  • Westbank Lions Seniors' Housing: 715 Gellatly Rd. (40 subsidized independent housing units for seniors with low income)
For more housing options visit the Seniors' Housing Directory: Home - Seniors Outreach Housing Directory 

More Seniors' Housing Supports:
  • BC Housing's Seniors' Supportive Housing Program 
  • Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER)
  • Central Okanagan Rent Bank
Background

2018 Westside Point-In-Time Count

In July 2018, the City and Westbank First Nation coordinated with community agencies and volunteers to conduct the Westside’s first Point-in-Time Count.

The 2018 Point-in-Time Count provided valuable information about the individuals experiencing or struggling with homelessness in our community.

Temporary Use Permit issued for a winter shelter: On July 13, 2020 Council approved a Temporary Use Permit for a facility to temporarily house residents previously staying at the shelter at the United Church on Brown Road. The church’s sale created an urgency to find a new temporary shelter before winter.
  • Read the Report to Council
Previous Winter Shelter on Stevens Rd., West Kelowna: From January through March 2020, BC Housing provided a temporary winter shelter at 1160 Stevens Rd. to assist our most vulnerable citizens in the Greater Westside. The West Kelowna Shelter Society (WKSS), under contract from BC Housing, provided the temporary modular shelter, with safe, secure services and supports for up to 40 people, who required refuge from extreme cold temperatures through the winter months.

Additional provincial resources: Learn about Homes for BC, the Provincial Government’s 30-point plan to address housing affordability for British Columbians.

 

 

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