A former Kelowna mayor says time should not be wasted 香蕉视频直播渞einventing the wheel香蕉视频直播� when it comes to dealing with the issue of homelessness in the city.

Sharon Shepherd, who served as Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 mayor from 2005 to 2011 after a nine-year stint as a city councillor, has written to the executive director of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce after the chamber co-sponsored a symposium on homelessness earlier this week that featured a call for a Housing First strategy here to help alleviate the problem in the city.

Housing First focuses on getting the homeless into long-term affordable housing before dealing with other issues they may be facing because it has been shown having their own home helps those in need successfully tackle other issues they are facing, including addiction and poverty.

In her letter, Shepherd reminds Grover香蕉视频直播攚ho was not here at the time香蕉视频直播攖hat the city had a number of programs aimed at helping the homeless in place during her time in office, used a Housing First approach at that time and was successful in getting funding from higher levels of government for four different types of social housing, including Cardington Apartment香蕉视频直播檚 on St.Paul Street downtown, Willowbridge which is operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association, the New Opportunities for Women Canada (NOW) apartment building in South Pandosy and Rutland香蕉视频直播檚 New Gate Apartments run by the John Howard Society.

Also, at that time, the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society operated temporary apartments at the former LaMission Motel.

Operating under a four-pillar approach in 2005 that included enforcement, treatment, prevention and crime reduction strategies, housing for the homeless was one of 28 goals that were identified. So too was a regional coordinator to address the issue of substance abuse but that position has since been eliminated.

香蕉视频直播淪o what has happened?香蕉视频直播� writes Shepherd. 香蕉视频直播� A 4 pillar strategy is no longer in place. The coordinator position is no longer in place. Community court led by Judge Anne Wallace, who recently passed away, and was supported by the RCMP, health and social service representatives is no longer in place. Homelessness Awareness Week is no longer in place. A community and provincial priority to deal with homelessness is no longer in place.香蕉视频直播�

The city has said it plans to hire a social issues coordinator.

Homelessness is not unique or new to Kelowna, said the former mayor.

香蕉视频直播淎s a city and region we must recognize that when the homelessness issues improve, as they did a number of years ago, the work should not have stopped. It is time to review those strategies and rehire a (substance abuse reduction) coordinator. It is time to once again have community action and ongoing government commitment that did make a difference. The homelessness strategy that was in place should never have ended. 香蕉视频直播�

Grover, said she was happy to learn about what had been done in the past and said the chamber is looking at what was done.

But she added a Housing First approach does not have to mean building new apartment buildings. She said existing rental suites could be used but they have to be affordable. Because of that, it will take provincial and federal assistance, likely in the form of rent subsidies, to make such a plan work.

Grover is hopeful money can be secured through the social spending component of the new federal government香蕉视频直播檚 new infrastructure funding plan.

Meanwhile, Shepherd, whose two councils were considered much more socially active than any before them, said she hopes the work done in the past here will not be forgotten, as it was not only valuable but also, effective.

香蕉视频直播淧lease pull out the documents that were used, dust them off, and move forward,香蕉视频直播� she said in an accompanying email to her letter.

She said she is sad to see the organizations that have continued to participate in dealing with homelessness with minimal support of government and businesses have not been acknowledged and the work started 11 years ago not continued.

香蕉视频直播淭here needed to be a continuation of long-term housing units built so that space would be available for the acute needs of individuals on the street in our community,香蕉视频直播� said Shepherd.

香蕉视频直播淭here needed to be more treatment facilities made available 香蕉视频直播攕uch as detox香蕉视频直播攎ental health priorities and more professionals assigned to give the one-on-one (attention that is) so needed.香蕉视频直播�