Inn-Home Support and Eviction Prevention

Who is involved?  
Clients:   People at risk of homelessness. Inn from the Cold-Kelowna is involved in providing in-home support for those recently homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Advocates:  All caring individuals of good will are invited to join in this service.

How is the service organized? 
The year-round coordinator of Inn from the Cold-Kelowna has the assigned role of organizing this service.  Service providers:  the Gospel Mission, Kelowna Drop-In Centre counselors, Urban Outreach Health, Kelowna General Hospital, the Salvation Army, Ki-low-na Friendship Centre, Canadian Mental Health Association, various transition and shelter houses, Inn from the Cold-Kelowna staff and other agencies may recommend people for this support.  The coordinator then matches up a pair of volunteers, called “advocates” to assist in providing support to their client or “protégé”.  The coordinator also remains in touch with the referring agency to provide updates on progress, to seek advice and to inform the professional outreach worker if his/her help is needed.

What do advocates do?  
The role of advocates is to support and assist adults, couples and sometimes families who have been referred to the Inn from the Cold-Kelowna coordinator by service providers throughout Kelowna.  As advocates, these volunteers may perform a variety of services: 
-assist with filling out forms,                                -send a birthday card
-help the protégé to enroll in a class,                 -assist with budgeting
-mediate with a landlord or neighbor,                -write a letter,
-negotiate a payment plan with a utility,             -meet for coffee,
-arrange rental assistance,                                 -deliver a food hamper,
-support medical requirements (e.g. reminders to take medication),
-visit, listen and be a friend…
A very important role of the advocates is to be a link from their protégé back to the service provider.  The Inn from the Cold-Kelowna coordinator is the liaison between the outreach worker and the advocate. 

The Inn from the Cold-Kelowna coordinator can put advocates in touch with professionals for advice or help in assessing the seriousness of a client’s needs.  If the needs of the client become critical - more than is reasonable for a volunteer - the advocate contacts the coordinator so the outreach worker knows to be actively involved again. 

Where does funding come from?
Funding for the year-round coordinator of Inn from the Cold-Kelowna projects has generously been provided through a grant from Service Canada.  Other costs will be covered through donations (financial and in-kind), church organizations, additional grants e.g. Central Okanagan Foundation) and participating service agencies.

How are advocates trained or chosen?
We encourage you to come to an orientation session. We will provide on-going training sessions to those who decide to be advocates.  Anyone interested in being an advocate must provide non-judgmental service in keeping with the rights and dignity of all persons, free from religious teaching and respectful of personal boundaries.  These concepts can be summed up in the phrase, “persons of good will”.  A criminal record check is also required. 

How can I volunteer or ask a question?
Call Karin, Volunteer Coordinator of Inn from the Cold-Kelowna, at 448-6403, or go to info@innfromthecoldkelowna.org to volunteer or if you have further questions.

Inn-Home Support/Eviction Prevention Program
                         

Inn From the Cold – Kelowna
info@innfromthecoldkelowna.org