British ColumbiaThe City of Penticton in B.C.’s South Okanagan is hoping to build 50 tiny homes to help long-term shelter users transition toward more independence. A similar project has seen some success in Kelowna, but not everyone in Penticton is on board with the proposed site. Penticton is planning 50 temporary tiny homes to help homeless people transition out of shelters Tiffany Goodwein · CBC News · Posted: Nov 03, 2025 10:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe City of Penticton is looking to add 50 tiny homes, similar to the ones seen here in Kelowna. (CBC News)The City of Penticton is looking to build a collection of 50 temporary tiny homes to combat the ongoing homelessness crisis in the Okanagan B.C. community.If council approves permitting for the initiative, which is up for a vote on Nov. 4, the homes will be built at Dartmouth Dog Park, temporarily closing the green space. Julie Czeck, general manager of public safety and partnerships for the city, said the spaces would serve as transitional housing — a step between a shelter and permanent housing. She said that middle level is needed to ensure people don’t get stuck in city shelters for months or years on end. Dartmouth Dog Park is the proposed site for 50 tiny homes in Penticton that will be used for transitional housing. (Tiffany Goodwein/CBC)“There are individuals, for example, who have been in our shelter system for more than 600 days without that next step,” she said. Getting those people into tiny homes would free up space in shelters for people who have been sleeping rough outdoors, Czeck said.Penticton’s last homeless count, conducted over a 24-hour period in April, estimated 194 people were experiencing homelessness, up from 166 in 2023. Of this year’s count, 116 people were considered sheltered, and 78 were unsheltered and on the streets.Many of the unhoused people live at an encampment on Fairview Road. It’s a place where Joey Gibson calls home. He said he is in favour of the tiny homes. The Fairview encampment located along Highway 97 and Fairview Road is where many of the city’s unhoused and unsheltered live, despite an eviction notice in June. (Tiffany Goodwein/CBC)“It would give everyone a piece of space, we are not all on top of each other. Everyone is going to feel safer and feel like they have somewhere to come home to, and actually know that their things are going to be there,” he said.Success in KelownaThe Okanagan community doesn’t have to go far to find another city that has implemented tiny homes. Kelowna, located approximately 60 kilometres north, introduced tiny homes in 2024. There are three sites in the city, with 60 units each. Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas said the initiative has been positive so far.“Our bylaw, our RCMP, our crime safety unit has had very minimal encounters with these sites. These individuals are recognizing that this is a path forward for them and are taking advantage of it to look at finding a better place,” he said. Kelowna introduced a tiny home transitional housing project in 2024. (Submitted by B.C. Housing)Dyas said approximately 100 people have transitioned into more permanent housing since the tiny homes launched last year. Opposition grows In Penticton, there is opposition to the proposed site, though. Over 1,200 people have signed a petition calling on city council to delay the vote. Stacey Rempel launched the petition. She said she isn’t opposed to providing homeless people with supports but questions the process the city is taking.She told CBC News there has been no public consultation or engagement with nearby residents, as the vote for the temporary use permit doesn’t require it beforehand. “It’s the cart before the horse,” Rempel said. She said residents are concerned about the concentration of social services in one area with a temporary winter shelter also nearby. She said people are also worried about the site’s proximity to a school and daycare, and have expressed fears about possible property theft. Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee said she wants more information on the proposal.“Projects like the 50 tiny homes in Penticton need a thorough plan to show the community individuals will be receiving care and resources to help them,” she said in a news release. B.C’s minister of housing, Christine Boyle, told CBC News that the tiny home site, which B.C. Housing is partnering with the city on, will have 24-hour support staff. She said once an operator is selected, they will work with the community so concerns can be addressed. Cameras, fencing and controlled entrances are also included in the plan. The 50 temporary residences will be funded through the province’s homelessness and encampment response program. ABOUT THE AUTHORTiffany Goodwein is an award-winning journalist focused on covering Penticton and the south Okanagan area of British Columbia. She previously spent six years reporting in Alberta and is happy to be back home in B.C., where she grew up. You can contact her at tiffany.goodwein@cbc.ca
This B.C community is looking to tiny homes to address homelessness
