The message at the Journey Homesa国际传媒檚 Emergency Shelter Design Lab was that everyone needs to come together to eradicate homelessness in Kelowna.

On Thursday, June 13, dozens of community members filled Trinity Baptist Church for a design thinking workshop to help the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society (COJHS) create a service map to understand how to better help people who experience homelessness.

sa国际传媒淭o make sure that we are including all of the voices who want to be heard is part of the whole concept of ending homelessness,sa国际传媒� said society executive director Gaelene Askeland. sa国际传媒淏uilding a community, making sure we have a safe community with everybody, I think the more people that we can get who come from all of those different environments just makes it a more robust conversation and helps us make better decisions.sa国际传媒�

The workshop included an introduction by COJHS system planner Saran Mallinson, a guest lecture by Chuck Lazenby, executive director of Unity Project, a homeless shelter in London, ON., and an enlightening conversation by Kelowna community members who have been homelessness.

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sa国际传媒淲e donsa国际传媒檛 want to shy away from having the tough conversations,sa国际传媒� said Mallinson. sa国际传媒淲e like the richness that comes from diverse views all in one room together.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 a myriad of things that can change their lives,sa国际传媒� said one member of the lived experience group about people who experience homelessness. sa国际传媒淪ome of those people who experience consistent homelessness have lived through child abuse, traumas and different things like that.sa国际传媒�

The event was capped off with each table presenting its own emergency shelter design, using the information gathered from the first half of the event.

sa国际传媒淚f we really know what we want for our community, it gives us better leveraging to get it,sa国际传媒� said Askeland.

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David.venn@kelownacapnews.com
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