Residents experiencing homelessness along Leon Avenue are fed up with their poor living conditions and are demanding the city take action.
On Tuesday, residents held a media gathering with the , to draw attention to their situation and set out a list of four demands, including more housing options, no unlawful searches of their tents, no more sa国际传媒渟tealingsa国际传媒� by police and electrical options for heating their tents.
Residents of the infamous Leon Avenue voiced out their new demands of the city on Tuesday. has helped the homeless in communicate what is needed to help people get off the streets. Stay tuned
sa国际传媒� Mack Britton (@MackBrittonBC)
Listen Chen, a spokesperson for the organization, said that among the four demands, the biggest grievance is the ongoing violations of the residentssa国际传媒� Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
sa国际传媒淭reating poor and homeless people as if they donsa国际传媒檛 have rights, as if theysa国际传媒檙e not entitled to having personal possessions and privacy, that sends a message to the public that these people are not fully human,sa国际传媒� said Chen.
READ MORE: Kelowna homeless to demand improvements to their living conditions
Chen said her organization spent last weekend collecting signatures and speaking to residents living on Leon Avenue before narrowing down their list of demands.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 cold out here,sa国际传媒� said Deanna Cowens, a woman who has experienced homelessness for several years.
sa国际传媒淲e need places for all, that have heat. We donsa国际传媒檛 want to live by other peoplessa国际传媒� rules, we want to do what we want to do and theresa国际传媒檚 nothing out here for us that we can afford. There are no options.sa国际传媒�
Cowens said people donsa国际传媒檛 want to live in shelters because of the rules that limit their guests, their belongings and their livelihoods.
She said they are also tired of the abuse from law enforcement and city bylaw officers who allegedly throw out or steal their belongings.
Leon Avenue resident says that his belongings are constantly thrown out or stolen by city bylaw officers.
sa国际传媒� Mack Britton (@MackBrittonBC)
While the current social housing conditions in Kelowna were noted as good options for some, the overwhelming consensus from the Leon Avenue residents is that there arensa国际传媒檛 enough options.
The Central Okanagan Journey Home Society is one of the many city partners that work to address the ongoing issues of chronic and episodic homelessness in Kelowna.
Journey Home board chair Kyleen Myrah said that the AADsa国际传媒檚 new involvement could complicate that work.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a frustrating distraction,sa国际传媒� said Myrah in response to AADsa国际传媒檚 Tuesday press conference.
sa国际传媒淲e recognize that the situation on Leon Avenue is not acceptable or sustainable. It is more important than ever to stay the course and focus our efforts, continuing to work collaboratively towards the development of community-based solutions to our issues.sa国际传媒�
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Brendan Jeffrey whosa国际传媒檚 been on and off the streets for the last six years with his wife Caitlyn said that though they both work, they may not be able to afford a place indoors when winter hits its peak.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e doing everything we can to make sure wesa国际传媒檙e warm and safe,sa国际传媒� said Jeffrey.
sa国际传媒淚 want to see housing for everybody and keep it affordable. Isa国际传媒檇 like to see all of us off the street and have affordable housing so we could actually get our own space, we can actually stay out of the cold.sa国际传媒�
The demands from the AAD and Leon Avenue residents have yet to be addressed by Kelowna city council.
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