Every single day bylaw staff with the City of Kelowna remove an average of 800 lbs of discarded items from one of the new homeless camps set up in the north end of the city due to safety concerns.
Darren Caul, director of community safety, said it香蕉视频直播檚 a difficult, but necessary task to remove the abandoned items found at the temporary site located on Recreation Avenue.
香蕉视频直播淧eople who live without homes operate from a state of scarcity and so they quite naturally and expectedly collect,香蕉视频直播� said Caul.
香蕉视频直播淭he amount of material and unclaimed property generated on a daily basis is well beyond what is manageable or compatible with a temporary overnight shelter site.香蕉视频直播�
He said each person who uses the site can safely store their items in two large recycling bins on wheels, which are then stored inside a shipping container. Each bin has their name and date attached to it.
香蕉视频直播淚f they are not accessed or used within three days they are deemed abandoned and disposed of,香蕉视频直播� said Caul, adding most shelters only offer to store a single rubber made bin per person.
That being said, if there are items of value, including sentimental value, those items may be stored separately and are accessible for people to retrieve within 30 days.
Due to health and safety hazards, he said bylaw staff can not go through bags that are left behind nor can abandoned items be reused by other people.
READ MORE: WATCH: Kelowna bylaw officers throwing away items belonging to homeless
READ MORE: Residents rally to support those experiencing homelessness in Kelowna
His comments follow the publication of a video on Dec. 4 that showed bylaw officers and city employees allegedly throwing away people香蕉视频直播檚 belongings, including mattresses and tents, drawing the ire from many on social media.
香蕉视频直播淣ot even caring about what is being thrown out, they just deem it all garbage, but is it? No, it香蕉视频直播檚 perfectly usable items for anyone,香蕉视频直播� said Facebook user Derek Foreel, who uploaded the video.
Caul described the situation as extremely complex, adding that on Leon Avenue where people experiencing homelessness were previously living the city removed an average of 1,200 lbs of material a day.
香蕉视频直播淭he context is really, really important for people to understand the complexities of what it is they are seeing,香蕉视频直播� said Caul.
香蕉视频直播淭he video depicts just another one of the complexities of those living without homes on our streets and of those who are trying to manage a very difficult issue,香蕉视频直播� said Caul.
He urged people who have been donating items at the site to drop items off at an agency or non-profit organization that is equipped to handle donated items.
香蕉视频直播淲e absolutely recognize and frankly it香蕉视频直播檚 wonderful to see the level of attention and generosity among the people of Kelowna wanting to donate at the site for people living without homes, but we ask people to redirect that generosity to the many agencies in our city that are directly involved in supporting and serving people living without homes year-round,香蕉视频直播� said Caul.
香蕉视频直播淢any of the donations are not compatible with a temporary overnight shelter site and while well intentioned some of these donations create unintended challenges and consequences.香蕉视频直播�
For example, he said people donating food may not be aware of other people香蕉视频直播檚 allergies.
READ MORE: Kelowna to open temporary housing to help homeless
READ MORE: Knox Mountain, north end Kelowna residents gather to petition city over homeless camp
He welcomed news earlier this week from B.C. Housing and the John Howard Society of Okanagan Kootenay that it would be opening up a temporary shelter with 40 beds at a city-owned property.
The building, located at 555 Fuller Avenue, will temporarily house 40 people who already have beds at Cornerstone shelter and the Kelowna Gospel Mission to free up space at those two shelters for those who are currently out on the streets or camping at Recreation Avenue.
香蕉视频直播淭hat is a very welcomed and necessary announcement that will make a very significant and positive impact for those living without homes on our streets,香蕉视频直播� said Caul, adding the temporary shelters set up on Recreation Avenue and at the base of Knox Mountain will remain open for as long as needed.
香蕉视频直播淎s long as we have more people on our streets living without homes than we do shelter space, people will continue to have the legal right to shelter overnight in our designated spaces.香蕉视频直播�
