In this Forum, you are invited to:

What We Heard: Housing instability and unmet basic needs are foundational drivers of visible safety pressures in West Kelowna.

Participants described:

• A shortage of housing that is truly affordable and matched to people’s needs
• Hidden homelessness, including couch surfing and precarious living arrangements
• Growing food insecurity and affordability pressures
• A lack of daytime spaces, washrooms, and hygiene access
• A cycle of displacement rather than resolution

When housing, food, hygiene, and stabilization supports are missing, the impacts show up in public spaces, neighbourhood tensions, and emergency systems.

How might we strengthen access to stable housing and basic day-to-day supports in West Kelowna so that fewer people enter crisis and public spaces are not the default place to meet basic needs?

What We Heard: Mental health and substance use needs are increasing, while access to timely local supports remains limited on the Westside.

Participants described:

• Long wait times for counselling and psychiatric care

• Limited youth mental health supports

• Gaps in detox, treatment, and recovery housing

• Substance use becoming more visible in public spaces

• First responders carrying health crises beyond their mandate

Without coordinated and upstream supports, systems default to crisis response.

How might we improve access to timely, coordinated mental health and substance use supports on the Westside so that people receive help earlier and crisis response is not the default?

What We Heard: Safety is shaped by everyday experiences in parks, transit areas, Main Street, pathways, and neighbourhoods.

Participants described:

• Specific high-use locations feeling unpredictable

• Lighting and infrastructure gaps influencing perceptions of safety

• Uncertainty about acceptable behaviour and who to call

• Public spaces absorbing the impacts of unmet social needs

Well-designed, active, and welcoming spaces support safety. Infrastructure gaps and unclear expectations increase tension.

How might we design, activate, and manage public spaces in West Kelowna so they feel predictable, welcoming, and safe for all users?

What We Heard: Prevention gaps across the life course are increasing vulnerability.

Participants described:

• Youth lacking safe, welcoming, and low-cost places to gather

• Transportation barriers limiting access to programs

• Families accessing support too late

• Seniors experiencing isolation due to mobility and digital barriers

Belonging, connection, and early intervention are critical protective factors.

How might we strengthen early intervention, connection, and accessible community programming for children, youth, families, and seniors before challenges escalate into crisis?

What We Heard: Safety and well-being are not experienced equally.

Participants described:

• Experiences of racism and discrimination

• Barriers to culturally safe services

• The importance of reconciliation-in-action

• The need for collaboration with Westbank First Nation

• A desire for services that reflect cultural diversity and lived realities

Belonging and cultural safety are foundational to a thriving city.

How might we advance equity, reconciliation, and culturally safe approaches in West Kelowna so that all residents feel respected, included, and supported?

What We Heard: Fragmented systems reinforce crisis response rather than prevention.

Participants described:

• Unclear roles across agencies

• Fragmented outreach

• Limited shared data

• Workforce burnout

• Transportation and digital barriers

• Difficulty navigating services

Without coordinated navigation and shared accountability, people fall through gaps.

How might we improve coordination, navigation, and shared accountability across agencies and systems so that prevention becomes the norm rather than crisis response?