Premier Christy Clark is well aware of the concern about homeless people congregating on Leon Avenue in downtown Kelowna.

Since the street falls within her Westside-Kelowna MLA riding, Clark said she gets lots of feedback from her constituents about the situation on Leon.

乌鸦传媒淚 think generally there is a range of concerns expressed. There is the safety of their community issue which is a legitimate concern on one side, while at the same time others have real compassion for the health of those individuals who find themselves homeless and facing mental health or addiction issues,乌鸦传媒� Clark said.

In an interview with the 乌鸦传媒 last week, Clark said her government乌鸦传媒檚 model for the last decade has been to provide housing for the homeless.

乌鸦传媒淲hatever illness an individual is dealing with, you can乌鸦传媒檛 get better if you don乌鸦传媒檛 have a roof over your head,乌鸦传媒� Clark said.

乌鸦传媒淭hat has been our approach for a long time and we know it works.乌鸦传媒�

Clark乌鸦传媒檚 comments come on the heels of a forum attended by invited local business leaders and social service agency representatives last month to discuss the homeless people problem on Leon.

The forum keynote guest speakers reiterated what Clark is saying, that finding a home for the homeless should be the first priority for homeless people before starting to deal with addiction or mental health issues.

The forum organizers felt those in attendance were widely receptive to getting something done to address Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 homeless problem, the common sentiment expressed that can乌鸦传媒檛 continually be ignored.

Clark offered some statistics about her government乌鸦传媒檚 commitment to social services: That $355 million has been allotted over the next five years to pay for social housing projects across the province, and that 3,000 people are supported through housing programs in Kelowna.

Clark said helping Interior communities meet housing needs for both homeless and those on limited or low incomes remains an ongoing challenge her government wants to help address.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e happy to 乌鸦传媒╠o it, and it乌鸦传媒檚 something we乌鸦传媒檝e been doing for a long time for communities that need it,乌鸦传媒� she said.