The message at the Journey Home害羞草研究所檚 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.

害羞草研究所淭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,害羞草研究所� said society executive director Gaelene Askeland. 害羞草研究所淏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.害羞草研究所�

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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害羞草研究所淲e don害羞草研究所檛 want to shy away from having the tough conversations,害羞草研究所� said Mallinson. 害羞草研究所淲e like the richness that comes from diverse views all in one room together.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a myriad of things that can change their lives,害羞草研究所� said one member of the lived experience group about people who experience homelessness. 害羞草研究所淪ome of those people who experience consistent homelessness have lived through child abuse, traumas and different things like that.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淚f we really know what we want for our community, it gives us better leveraging to get it,害羞草研究所� said Askeland.

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David.venn@kelownacapnews.com
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