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Residents frustrated with lack of communication on Kelowna transitional housing

'Having this a stone’s throw away is concerning'
tinyhomes
Up to 60 temporary transitional homes, similar to the units pictured, are planned to be built at 3199 Appaloosa Road.

Residents of a north Kelowna neighbourhood say they were blindsided by the announcement of a proposed temporary transitional housing development just steps from their front doors.

On Aug. 26 Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon was in Kelowna to unveil that a third 60-unit project for people experiencing homelessness will be built at 3199 Appaloosa Road.

Kelsey McCallen lives a five-minute walk away from the site at Sol Terra Ranch. She and about 40 of her neighbours held an emergency community meeting after reading about the announcement in local media.

“I’m actually one of the furthest away from it where I am on Mustang (Court). We have others in the group where it is 100 steps from their front doors.”

McCallen said there was no public notice or communication about the housing project from the city or the province. 

“One of our neighbours called a staff manager at the City of Kelowna and she said notifications would be in the mail in the next day or two.”

McCallen also said the manager, in the same phone call, said there were “very low RCMP calls in our neighbourhood so they thought it would be a good spot for this.”

McCallen said people in her neighbourhood look out for one another and there are occasional problems.

“Like most other neighbourhoods in Kelowna, there is obviously going to be some type of crime. Overall, I’ve always felt safe in our neighbourhood.”

She added that several concerns were raised about the housing project during the community meeting.

“Safety of our neighbourhood. Theft, vandalism, increased drug use,” McCallen added.

The community has many families with young children, including McCallen’s. Nearby is College Heights Mobile Home Park where many seniors live, and several. of McCallen's neighbours rent their basement suites to UBCO students.

“Having this a stone’s throw away is concerning.”

Neighbours have contacted the provincial housing ministry, and the city, and emailed the mayor, city councillors and MLAs with their concerns. 

“What we’re also doing is getting the word out to other neighbours. If you didn’t see the articles you wouldn’t know because we haven’t gotten any notification.”

McCallen said the neighbourhood has reached out to area businesses, posted on community Facebook pages and started a petition on change.org.

While she and her neighbours are in favour of supportive housing, McCallen said they feel the Appaloosa site in the middle of their community is not the appropriate location.

“The other two supportive housing developments (STEP Place, Trailside) are not that close to people’s homes, they’re more commercial or industrial areas. This one is a hard pill to swallow.”

She also noted a lack of amenities in the area such as a medical clinic, grocery store, or pharmacy. 

Capital News has contacted the City of Kelowna and B.C. Housing and both have indicated they will provide comments.

The Appaloosa Road, STEP Place and Trailside projects are temporary housing solutions and will be in place for at least three years.



Gary Barnes

About the Author: Gary Barnes

Journalist and broadcaster for three decades.
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