Homeless
Vernon council disagrees about panhandling issue
VERNON - A Vernon city councillor insists panhandling is getting out of control, but that view isn’t shared by the rest of council. Coun. Scott Anderson raised the issue after a Vernon food truck vendor spoke out about being harassed and physically assaulted downtown. “We have a duty to help anyone that needs help and...
Harassed Vernon food truck vendor says enough is enough
VERNON - Vernon food truck vendor Dave Braybrook had to call the cops three times in one day this week — and now he's speaking out. The friendly Irishman and owner of the Sizzlin’ Shamrock hot dog stand says he’s had problems with transients disrupting business ever since he set up on the sidewalk at...
Homeless camps still a reality in Vernon parks
VERNON - With nowhere else to turn, members of the homeless community continue to sleep in public parks in Vernon. A census done in October found six active homeless camps in the city, executive director for the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan Annette Sharkey says. “That is up from previous counts, but not...
Kelowna Gospel Mission to unveil new, larger dining room on Thanksgiving Day
KELOWNA – There’s no reservation necessary and everyone is welcome to the Gospel Mission’s annual Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. The Kelowna Gospel Mission serves more than 800 meals on Thanksgiving Day, Oct. 12. Several local and provincial politicians will serving meals along with more than 50 volunteers. Prior to the meal service, there will be...
While others walked away, you won’t believe who saved a Vernon pet shop from disaster
"THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULDN'T HAVE DONE WHAT HE DID" VERNON - If not for the heroic act of a homeless man, the owners of a Vernon pet store believe their business — and animals — would have been destroyed by fire. AJ’s Pets & Things owners Andrew Willmott and Lisa Badach caught the suspected arsonist...
Vernon homeless camp growing after motel evictions
VERNON - A Vernon homeless camp has grown in the days following an eviction order at the Green Valley Motel, according to shelter workers. Tenants had to be out of the motel by Sept. 1, and while a small number sought lodging at the Gateway Shelter, it appears others have turned to the street, John...
Vernon soup kitchen sees record-breaking use of services
VERNON - A Vernon soup kitchen says it has a record number of mouths to feed, in part due to a dramatic increase in the number of families with children in need of a meal. Last year at this time, the Upper Room Mission was serving roughly 250 meals a day. That number has now...
Mouth watering three-course meal surprises Vernon homeless
VERNON - With an hour to go before doors open, Chef Vincent Van Wieringen gives the sous-chefs and servers a final pep talk: be light with the drizzle of demi-glace on the braised beef, don’t let a water glass go unfilled, and do not, repeat not, drop a plate. Tablecloths have been smoothed, cutlery laid...
Concern for homeless community heightens as temperatures rise
VERNON - While the hot weather forecast has many of us planning fun ways to beat the heat, members of the homeless population are thinking about something else entirely: survival. Imagine heading into 40 Celsius weather with no air conditioning, no hat or sunscreen, and no water. That’s the situation Vernon’s Cammy LaFleur Street Outreach...
Money pledged to help Kamloops homelessness
KAMLOOPS - Several organizations helping homeless people in Kamloops were promised a total of early $700,000 this week. The Homelessness Partnering Strategy will provide $684,000 to eight organizations in Kamloops, Member of Parliament Cathy McLeod announced in a media release. The funding will help provide a variety of supports, including for homeless youth and housing...
Back home and back to business for Vernon’s Upper Room Mission
VERNON - The door is once again open at Vernon’s Upper Room Mission. The soup kitchen served lunch in its dining hall for the first time in two months today, Jan. 26, and communications manager Lisa Anderson says it’s good to be home. “This is where our clients feel most comfortable coming in out of...
How Vernon is making Christmas wishes come true
VERNON - A phone card, a bus ticket, warm footwear: It’s not your usual Christmas wish list, but for those on the receiving end, the gifts may mean a call home, a family visit or keeping warm on the unforgiving winter streets. It’s part of an initiative called Homeless Partners, which collects stories from the...
Homeless in Kamloops need blankets
KAMLOOPS – When Barbara Lundstrom heard there were 77 people tallied in the 2014 homeless count, she knew she had to do something — especially when her idea about what to do woke her up at 4:30 a.m. “I phoned my daughter,” Lundstrom says with a laugh. “She told me to phone her back in...
Temporary food services set up after flood at Vernon’s Upper Room Mission
VERNON - The community is making sure no one goes hungry in the coming weeks while damages are repaired at the Upper Room Mission. Fundraising director Lisa Anderson says it could take 6-8 weeks before repairs are complete. The 27 Avenue soup kitchen flooded earlier this week after a pipe burst and triggered the sprinkler...
Vernon’s Upper Room Mission closed until further notice
VERNON - Major flooding has forced the Upper Room Mission to close until further notice, and that’s creating a lot of uncertainty for hundreds of people who visit the soup kitchen daily. A pipe burst on the top floor of the 27 Avenue soup kitchen Monday around 10 p.m. and set off the facility’s sprinkler...