Council Hears Ideas To Address Homelessness

Members of the Social Planning Council and Urban Matters were before Vernon council today to present their recommendations on tackling homelessness.

The two groups recommended introducing a shower program, having more public toilets and stronger plans to help youth aging out of foster care and seniors at risk of becoming homeless.

More storage units for the street entrenched to store their belongings and a program that pairs cops with nurses to help with mental health calls were also among the recommendations to be considered by the city.

The police-nurses project called “The Car 87” mental health program is already used in Vancouver, and see cops and nurses work together to provide on site assessments and intervention for people struggling with mental illness.