72 Hours — An Open Invitation to Experience Homelessness in Kelowna
The invitation remains open.
Today I sent an email to the Mayor and Council of Kelowna, BC Housing, the Premier of British Columbia, the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, and the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
The invitation was simple.
Spend 72 hours navigating homelessness in Kelowna.
Not as a publicity exercise.
Not as a media event.
Not with special treatment.
Not with advance arrangements.
Use the same systems available to everyone else.
Call 211.
Use public transit.
Find shelter.
Keep your phone charged.
Carry what you need.
Manage meals, medications, hygiene, and personal belongings.
And during those 72 hours, attempt to secure housing using a realistic income assistance or disability-income budget.
Search listings.
Contact landlords.
Complete applications.
Attend viewings if offered.
Track responses, rejections, barriers, and costs.
Then tell the public what you learned.
This is not a challenge issued out of anger.
It is not about embarrassment.
It is not about creating a spectacle.
It is about understanding.
Homelessness is often discussed through reports, statistics, council meetings, funding announcements, and policy papers. Those things matter, but they cannot fully communicate the daily logistics of life without stable housing.
The reality of carrying everything you own.
The reality of keeping a phone charged because it is your connection to housing, transportation, health care, employment, banking, government services, and family.
The reality of navigating shelter systems.
The reality of searching for housing while living in crisis.
The reality of trying to maintain dignity when uncertainty becomes part of everyday life.
Many people experiencing homelessness are not who the public imagines.
They are workers.
They are seniors.
They are people with disabilities.
They are people recovering from illness, injury, trauma, loss, or economic hardship.
Three days will not make anyone homeless.
But seventy-two hours may provide insights that cannot be found in a briefing note.
The invitation remains open.
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