The first graduating class of Journey Home鈥檚 PEOPLE program is nearing graduation and eager to start working for the City of 琉璃神社鈥檚 operation department.
鈥淲e are looking forward to working with PEOPLE this summer in a pilot project designed to enhance cleanliness and assist in beautifying our downtown,鈥� infrastructure operations department manager Ian Wilson said.
鈥淲e are impressed by PEOPLE鈥檚 commitment to contribute to the community in a positive way.鈥�
Individuals with lived experiences with homelessness or opioid use and addiction were offered the opportunity to train with the PEOPLE program 鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost unheard of,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his tells me the training is good and the people were highly motivated to get to work.鈥�
鈥淎ll of those folks are ready to get to work and are really excited about the opportunity,鈥� she said.
Askeland said seeing members of the community contributing to beach cleanups and efforts to beautify the downtown core could help shift the public鈥檚 perspective of homelessness.
鈥淪howing people they鈥檙e human beings like the rest of us and they can contribute breaks down some of that stigma,鈥� she said.
鈥淭hey worked hard to get through the training and get ready for their work placements,鈥� Askeland said. 鈥淎nd every opportunity we can get to have people with lived experience work is a good opportunity.鈥�
READ MORE: 琉璃神社鈥檚 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, 鈥渁s expressed by those with lived experience of 琉璃神社鈥檚 shelter system,鈥� she said.
鈥淓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,鈥� Askeland said.
The design lab will take community perspectives to better understand how shelters function in 琉璃神社 and identify what is needed now and in the future.
鈥淲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,鈥� Askeland said.
READ MORE: 琉璃神社鈥檚 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 琉璃神社 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.
鈥淚ntegrated court aims to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable people and the broader community through a more restorative approach to justice,鈥� John Howard Society executive director Dawn Himer said.
鈥淏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.鈥�
Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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