Interior Health optimistic about new location
By Julie TurnerrnOsoyoos Times
News that Bateman House consumers must find another place to go by month-end has the Osoyoos Family Mental Health Support Society (OFMHSS) scrambling to find a new suitable location. The house has been sold and is slated for redevelopment.
The property, located on 74th Avenue, has been a drop-in centre for those in the community who are dealing with mental illness or addiction. It serves approximately 53 mental health patrons in the Osoyoos/Oliver area and has operated in various forms since 1994 “ since 2001 in its current location.
Bateman House has relied on charitable donations from individuals, service clubs such as the Elks and the Legion and other fundraising activities to provide for its consumers. The OFMHSS helps out the patrons with programs, provides monthly food vouchers and supplies household items.
Society members Caroline Staple and Bev Moreira, together with mental health consumers, first met with Interior Health's Allan Clarke in early February and heard the official news that the property was for sale. They talked then about needing to find a new house.
At the time they first told us about the situation, the OFMHSS was asked to go house hunting. We did, and we found another house on 74th. Allan Clarke, the consumers and the society viewed the house together and we all agreed it was perfect, Staple recalls.
Staple says the owners of the house are willing to take it off the market if they can get a long-term lessee.
However, the catch is that the house is zoned R1 “ Single Family Residential. In order for it to be leased as Bateman House, it would have to be rezoned to P1 – Private and Public Institution, a process that can be time-consuming.
Town Planner Alain Cunningham says staff have been talking with Interior Health and have invited it to submit an application for relocating the facility.
Cunningham explains that Bateman House would be classified as a care facility and that would have to be made an allowable use under the P1 zone.
Clarke says Interior Health is committed to relocating Bateman House.
Our objective is to provide a safe, healthy environment where members can enjoy peer support and unconditional acceptance in their struggle to maintain good mental well-being, he says.
He says Interior Health was given 60 days' notice after the sale of Bateman House but was not able to successfully renegotiate an extension of the lease.
We have been looking for another site in the Osoyoos/Oliver area but it is a difficult housing market and we are looking at all options.rnHowever, Clarke says Interior Health has not completed all negotiations and therefore cannot say anything further about the potential location.
I can tell you that it is looking promising that we will have a permanent location again soon. During the transition from the existing space to a new location, I can assure you that we plan to continue programming without an interruption in services. We may be without a permanent location at the end of the month, but we still have staff and we plan to keep things going. These things take time and although they are disruptive, they are an opportunity for us to evaluate the best options for our clients.rnStaple, Moreira and a consumer spokesperson say funding cuts have already reduced the number of programs available, including an arts program, a music program and then finally the peer support program.
The peer support program employed an advocate to talk with consumers between counselling sessions; it's a program Staple and Moreira say is crucial.
However, Clarke counters there are not any current funding cuts, citing increased funding to Country Squire Retirement Village and a youth initiative to increase services to deal with drug use. He adds, however, that increased funding is required to secure program space for Bateman House.
Moreira says she feels Bateman House consumers are a forgotten group of people. She and Staple are frustrated by the length of time it has taken Interior Health to establish a new location for the consumers and feel discussions are going nowhere.
Interior Health has known for over a year that the property was for sale, but nothing was done about it until February. It's now May, our 'kids' have to be out by the end of the month, and we still don't have a place for them to go, says Staple.
Although Bateman House is not a residence, it is a lifeline for those dealing with mental illnesses. It has been described by consumers as a sanctuary for the mentally handicapped.
If things don't happen quickly, the only solution for the consumers will be finding a temporary location. Staple fears that a temporary move would be too much of a disruption for many of the consumers.
Some people can't handle a temporary move. It's a really stressful situation.rnShe says the OFMHSS wants to see another home and the funding in place before month's end.
I want someone to stand up for these people, get us a house, funding, and then we can move on.
