Inn from the Cold Kelowna has shut down its office after 20 years serving the homeless in the city.
“It is with much regret that we feel we have no choice at this time but to close the society’s office,” treasurer Kim Froom said.
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“We have been blessed to work with an amazing group of staff who are incredibly skilled and compassionate in their support of the homeless and who have continued to remain loyal to the Inn and what it stands for, despite the challenges we’ve faced over the past couple of years,” she said.
The not-for-profit society closed its doors June 21. In January, its was forced to close its emergency shelter after losing the lease after the property was sold for redevelopment.
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Inn from the Cold continued to search for a new space and sought assistance from the community, local businesses, provincial and municipal government, but alternative arrangements were not to be found.
Unlike other emergency shelters, it wanted to lease space in light commercial or industrial-zoned areas away from the downtown core. Its “good neighbour protocols” demonstrated the not-for-profit’s ability to minimize the impact on the surrounding community, it said.
Inn From the Cold’s board of directors now plans to re-evaluate the society’s values, purpose and future direction while maintaining its vision of a community with no homelessness.
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