The service providers that aid Kelowna’s homeless population gathered for the eighth annual Well Done BBQ at Kelowna’s Gospel Mission to honour each other’s hard work on Wednesday.
The non-profit and social service agencies running a variety of programs aimed at keeping people safe and their success in achieving their goals of helping people.
Related:Kelowna’s Gospel Mission hosts eighth annual BBQ
“It’s also a time where we bring together all the people who work with us and give us support in the work that we do and just that fact that we are doing good work but are accomplishing some good things. There is always more work to be done but we are getting a lot done,” Randy Benson executive director of Kelowna’s Gospel Mission said.
The event also supplies the community partners the opportunity to work together to ensure they are not replicating services.
The provincial government has moved forward to build 46 units of modular housing in Kelowna. The project will provide residents with 24/7 support care services and will only take 5 months to build the $8 million temporary housing project.
Related:Ground-breaking for modular housing for homeless in Kelowna
“We have got to be positive, it’s a step in the right direction. Is it a drop in the bucket? I don’t want to be negative…It is good to see the city taking an initiative,” Ronn Ayers, who uses the Kelowna’s Gospel Mission services, and is on the waiting list currently for Freedom’s Door.
Through collaboration between the different service providers Freedom’s Door has been able to bring men into their program through this collaboration.
Related:Spreading resources outside of downtown a good idea, says former homeless
“We all work together very closely in the continuum of care along with the Gospel Mission. When there are men that are open to recovery then they are referred to working with us and then they come through our 90 day minimum program can stay with us as long as they need,” Wanda Agar with Freedom’s Door said.
“I am so grateful that the mission is here. It’s like a family here,” Ayers said. “The workers here care, you are not just a number here.”
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