Tiny home community in Kelowna fully operational with programs up and running

After living in tents and homeless shelters for several years, Kristina Bath finally has a tiny home to call her own at Kelowna, B.C.’s, Step Place.

“Things just happened.  I lost my place and couldn’t find another one. It was really hard,” Bath said. “I was in a tent for a long time and alone so here it’s like a community, kind of like family.”

The 45-year old woman got emotional talking about her situation and the impact a tiny home is having on her day-to-day life.

“You have your own space, up can retreat to your own space, close your doors and lock it and your stuff is safe and it’s a totally different feeling than the shelters,” Bath told Global News.

Step Place, located on Crowley Avenue,  is comprised of 60 tiny homes the size of a garden shed.

The homes are currently being wrapped in colourful vinyl to give them a more ‘homey” look and feel and other final touches are being made to give the residents experiencing homelessness a sense of belonging.

“As soon as it gets warmer, we’re going to start doing some flower boxes, we will bring in a couple of gazebos,” said Patricia Bacon, executive director for John Howard Society of Okanagan and Kootenay, which operates the site.

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The site also has a communal kitchen, washroom facilities and other amenities such as access to computers and a wide range of programs to help people get back on their feet.

“We’re fully programming now so we have two life skills workers, a housing navigator, a mental health and substance use coordinator….so we are doing a full range of programs,” Bacon said.

“We also have some group planning.  We have identified that there are many people who could use some supports in maybe cooking on a budget, cooking in general and some wellness testing or wellness checks or resume, resume building…those are some of the kinds of group programs we have going on as as well as some individualized supports.”

Duane Fraser is another tiny home resident. He has been at a homeless shelter for the past few months after being evicted from his rental home.

“My goal is to get my own place back, get my own place, be stable, not make the mistakes I made before,” Fraser said.

Sixty more units for those experiencing homelessness are nearing completion along Highway 97 near McCurdy Road.

Called Trailside, the modular type of housing will cater to those 55 and over as well as people with disabilities.

It is slated to open mid-May.

Meanwhile, the City of Kelowna has yet to announced a third location that will feature 60 more tiny homes.

“We are looking forward to that next announcement of that next 60 and we are not ready to make that announcement yet, but it should be coming within the next couple of months,” said Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas.

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