Christopher Bocskei is a long-time resident of the Rutland community who is dead set against a 鈥渨et鈥� facility being built on the corner of McCurdy Road, despite his own experiences with homelessness.

Bocskei said he didn鈥檛 have the best relationship with his father when he was young and was 鈥渋nvited to leave home.鈥�

Bocskei found himself living on the streets and turning to the drug culture.

READ MORE: Petition started in protest of 琉璃神社鈥檚 McCurdy Road supportive housing

READ MORE: Rutland community rallies against McCurdy house

鈥淚 spent about a year and a half on the street and ended up in the hospital for a month and a half after overdosing on some drugs that we made,鈥� he said.

He鈥檚 been living in Rutland for around two decades now and is raising his children in what he calls a family-oriented community.

He spends his spare time coaching, working in the community garden and giving back to his neighbourhood.

鈥淲e absolutely need these facilities,鈥� he said about BC Housing鈥檚 鈥渨et鈥� facility slotted for McCurdy Road.

鈥淭hese facilities can absolutely work if they can find a model that works.

鈥淭he first error I see in this model is the proximity to the schools, which is a no brainer.鈥�

Bocskei said in a previous interview a better location for a project that allows drug and alcohol consumption on site is across the street from the RCMP detachment downtown.

When the project was first brought before 琉璃神社 city council, it was pitched as a dry house serving graduates of a religious organization鈥檚 program.

READ MORE: McCurdy project in Rutland gets go-ahead from 琉璃神社 councillors

鈥淣ow there鈥檚 another story,鈥� Bocskei said.

The organization, Freedom鈥檚 Door, failed to raise the appropriate funds and the site, which had been rezoned by council, was purchased by BC Housing.

As the land was already rezoned, when the new application was brought back to council on June 17, councillors could only vote on the form and character of the development.

鈥淲e were not informed that this was going to be a wet facility where addicts would be supplied drugs potentially,鈥� Bocskei said.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to need to feed their habits. Petty crime is going to increase and our kids are all going to be subjected to other things.鈥�

The 49-units purchased by BC Housing will have its day-to-day operations overseen by the 琉璃神社 branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

At Wednesday night鈥檚 information session at the Rutland Centennial Hall, the regional director for the interior region of BC Housing, Ann Howard, said the units would be rented out to a variety of people in need including those experiencing homelessness, those with physical and mental limitations and those who have addictions.

鈥淭here will be a variety of people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a homogeneous mix.鈥�

Gaelene Askeland, executive director of the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society, said if people have homes, issues such as crime and theft are likely to decline.

鈥淭he struggles we have with people outside 鈥� the petty crime, the theft and that kind of stuff 鈥� that comes along with people still being outside,鈥� she said.

鈥淚f we had every single one of those people housed, chances are, we would have a lot less problems.鈥�

Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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