The first graduating class of Journey Homesa国际传媒檚 PEOPLE program is nearing graduation and eager to start working for the City of Kelownasa国际传媒檚 operation department.
sa国际传媒淲e are looking forward to working with PEOPLE this summer in a pilot project designed to enhance cleanliness and assist in beautifying our downtown,sa国际传媒� infrastructure operations department manager Ian Wilson said.
sa国际传媒淲e are impressed by PEOPLEsa国际传媒檚 commitment to contribute to the community in a positive way.sa国际传媒�
Individuals with lived experiences with homelessness or opioid use and addiction were offered the opportunity to train with the PEOPLE program sa国际传媒� a peer-support model that assists in setting individuals up with employment contracts.
READ MORE: At the helm of the Journey Home Society
Contracts have been drawn up this past week, (COJHS) executive director Gaelene Askeland said, and the program was wildly successful with all 32 trainees completing the program.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 almost unheard of,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淭his tells me the training is good and the people were highly motivated to get to work.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淎ll of those folks are ready to get to work and are really excited about the opportunity,sa国际传媒� she said.
Askeland said seeing members of the community contributing to beach cleanups and efforts to beautify the downtown core could help shift the publicsa国际传媒檚 perspective of homelessness.
sa国际传媒淪howing people theysa国际传媒檙e human beings like the rest of us and they can contribute breaks down some of that stigma,sa国际传媒� she said.
sa国际传媒淭hey worked hard to get through the training and get ready for their work placements,sa国际传媒� Askeland said. sa国际传媒淎nd every opportunity we can get to have people with lived experience work is a good opportunity.sa国际传媒�
READ MORE: Kelownasa国际传媒檚 Journey Home board marks success
The Paid Employment Opportunities for People with Lived Experiences (PEOPLE) is only one of many actions the COJHS has implemented from its five-year strategy to end homelessness, and its only four months in.
to assess the needs of affected individuals in the community, sa国际传媒渁s expressed by those with lived experience of Kelownasa国际传媒檚 shelter system,sa国际传媒� she said.
sa国际传媒淓ven as we work towards ending homelessness, there will always be a need for short-term shelter accommodation for those in our community who find themselves without homes,sa国际传媒� Askeland said.
The design lab will take community perspectives to better understand how shelters function in Kelowna and identify what is needed now and in the future.
sa国际传媒淲e will look at the variety of shelter models to determine the best fit to address the needs in our community over the short-term and long-term,sa国际传媒� Askeland said.
READ MORE: Kelownasa国际传媒檚 formerly homeless shows support for Journey Home project
Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan also joined up to create a Homelessness Research Collaborative to identify key areas to focus on to support the Journey Home Strategy.
Establishing an integrated court in Kelowna is another project COJHS continues to pursue. It is working to establish a court model that offers more engagement between the courts, police, the person charged with a crime and those who provide services to those charged.
sa国际传媒淚ntegrated court aims to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable people and the broader community through a more restorative approach to justice,sa国际传媒� John Howard Society executive director Dawn Himer said.
sa国际传媒淏y helping people lead healthier, more stable lives, the development of the integrated court represents another step to introduce measures to prevent homelessness in the first place.sa国际传媒�
Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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