A temporary winter shelter will continue to operate in Penticton until April 2026 if the province steps up with the necessary funding.
Penticton City Council unanimously voted to extend operations of the shelter at 402 Warren Ave. East, a 40-bed facility that opened in November 2024.
Its decision on March 18, is contingent on financial support from BC Housing. Mayor Julius Bloomfield said the city hasn't heard yet if that funding will come through.
"I hope that (the shelter) does stay temporary because I want to see people get permanent housing and I think we do have a lot of projects in the works for that," said Coun. Isaac Gilbert. "City councils have to put a stake in the game. You can no longer rely on the province to be able to step forward and provide the best quality."
Without the extension, the shelter was set to close on March 31. Since it opened, it has supported 65 individuals, with 11 transitioning into permanent housing.
The city, which is the leaseholder of the property, says 38 people are currently staying at the site.
"I'm hopeful that we can continue this model if we move forward but I also don't want to continuously think we can do keep doing short-term band-aids," said Coun. Campbell Watt. "This is too big of a problem."
Watt also took issue with the B.C. government's efforts to address homelessness.
"There's a very large component of (homelessness) that we blanket it as because it becomes mental health or addictions issues, and that's not our responsibility," he said. "I call out the province to start taking care of this."
A report submitted to city council reads that BC Housing is "satisfied" with the way the shelter has been run.
With a one-year renewal of the facility contingent on provincial support, staff says it will work to secure funding by the end of March.
"Homelessness, as we know, is a growing problem in the country and certainly in the Western Hemisphere and we are not alone in that," Bloomfield said. "I understand the concerns of council, but what we have here with this shelter in particular, is that when we have accountability for an operation, it brings results."
If the province comes up with funding, the shelter will stay open until March 31, 2026. It would remain funded by BC Housing operated by Penticton and Area Overdose Prevention Society.
"The reality is, there is nothing in place for this year and the hope is that in 2026, we will have somewhere to transition these individuals to," said Blake Laven, the city's general manager of development services. "This buys us a little more time to get those other options in place."
