A Kelowna business has teamed up with local advocates and taken matters into their own hands because “everybody needs water.”
James Sutton of Packrat Water Hauling in Kelowna became aware of the lack of water at Tent City after being contacted by a concerned member of the public.
Kelly Blair, a resident of Kelowna for the last six decades, was astonished to discover that the city-maintained encampment had been without water for more than seven months after meeting and speaking with a woman who lives at Tent City.
Kevin Mead, bylaw services manager at the City of Kelowna, said the tap at Tent City is not in operation because it was allegedly vandalized. The water was turned off in October to prevent freezing and there is no timeline as to when the tap will be reconnected.
READ MORE: ‘Some may go days without water’: No working tap at Kelowna’s Tent City
Mead said that vandalism of the tap has been a repeated issue at Tent City and the water spout will not be repaired or replaced until a more resilient solution is available.
In the interim, the city has not been providing water to those at Tent City regularly.
Mead said that rather than waiting for water delivery, people are encouraged to leave the encampment each day to access services, like food, showers, laundry and water from places like Metro Community, which is located approximately one kilometer away.
Paula Chartrand, a woman who has been experiencing unsheltered homelessness for more than six years in Kelowna, said that while the option of walking over to the outreach centres is accessible to some, others are left behind.
She explained that the simple task of getting out of bed and leaving for the day can be prohibitive due to the mental and physical illnesses and disabilities that people in her community are living with.
Chartrand said that many of her neighbours are physically not able to walk, ride a bike, or wheel themselves in a wheelchair, to the outreach organizations due to injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, infections and chronic pain. She also explained that some people are living with severe substance use disorders, mental illness, or cognitive disabilities that make it difficult for them to leave the encampment.
She said that as a result, many people are dehydrated and dirty. In addition to being unable to bathe on a regular basis, Tent City is located on a gravel lot. Chartrand said that the fine dust from the lot coats everything, from clothes to her hands and eyelashes.
She explained that to access a shower, people typically have to be at Metro before 8 a.m. to secure a spot as there is such high demand for the resources.
Chartrand said that on a regular week, people can expect to receive a water bottle twice a day, five days a week, with the meals that the Kelowna Gospel Mission delivers. People can also usually expect one or two more 500mL bottles from other outreach organizations or Bylaw Services, but those are not guaranteed.
“We have to ration our water,” said Chartrand. She adds that every day, people make decisions between washing their hands and face, or drinking the water they have been given.
After witnessing the thirst and filth that some people at Tent City are living with, Blair took action.
He said he could not believe that little was being done by the city to provide the vulnerable people who call Tent City home with regular and reliable access to drinkable water.
That is when he called Packrat Water Hauling, a West-Kelowna based business.
James Sutton, the manager and a driver with the water service said he was astonished to hear that people were living without access to clean water and immediately made a plan to stop by Tent City. On Thursday, May 2, he pulled into Tent City with a truckload of water.
Blair said it was like concert tickets were being handed out. People flocked to the truck with anything they had that could hold water and were giddy with the water delivery.
One senior woman who lives at Tent City was excited that she would be able to clean her clothes, something she had not been able to do for months since she had difficulties making it to Metro, said Blair.
“It is not something you think you would have to see in this day in age,” said Sutton.
“Everybody deserves water, it doesn’t matter what your situation is.”
Sutton delivered approximately 1200L of water to the encampment. One resident had a large container that could hold approximately 1000L of water to be shared with the community. The rest of the water was used to fill bottles, jugs and containers.
Sutton said the look on people’s faces when they saw the water truck pull in would stick with him.
“They were just ecstatic and happy.”
He will continue to help the people at Tent City as often as he can until a solution is reached to restore the running water at the encampment.