Alongside its many partners, the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society (COJHS) is celebrating an important milestone – achieving one of its Top 10 actions to see more than 300 housing with supports units built in Kelowna.
“It is widely recognized that for people experiencing homelessness, having access to housing improves health outcomes, and this is being demonstrated in our community every day. As we reach this milestone, it is a good moment to pause and recognize how much has been accomplished and all the lives that have been positively affected in the last few years,” said Stephanie Ball, Executive Director of the COJHS, “but it is also a reminder of how much there is still left to do. We are in a housing crisis in Kelowna and COVID-19 has only made that crisis worse. Now more than ever, it is crucial that we work with all of our partners to support people in housing need, and work to prevent more people and families from experiencing homelessness.”
The pathways into and out of homelessness are as unique as the people who experience it. Our goal is to prevent and divert people from experiencing homelessness. We focus on reducing chronic homelessness with the underlying principle that access to reliable housing with the appropriate supports is key to health and healing. COJHS employs a person-centred, housing-first approach as it works with agencies and all levels of government to ensure that everyone in our community has a place to call home.