Lavern Jack is living up to his Syilx name, Somtitsa 鈥� a word he said means 鈥渧ery nice man.鈥�
As families struggle to find appropriate and affordable housing, Jack has been offering spaces at his campsite on Penticton Indian Band land for monthly deals.
Jack said he had several people come to him this summer looking for a place to stay.
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鈥淎ll through the summer, I had quite a few. A lot of them wanted to camp here to wait until the winter rate went down, so they could find something affordable,鈥� Jack said. 鈥淢ost of the stuff all through the summer was like $800-900 for a one bedroom, and then it went up from there, and they couldn鈥檛 afford that.鈥�
Among those looking for a spot, he said the South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society has used his campsite for three or four people 鈥� including one group of two and one single person 鈥� while they searched for something more permanent.
鈥淭he last person that they brought to me, they got him a place to stay, and then they said, if we need your help, we鈥檒l come and we鈥檒l bring somebody out,鈥� he said.
He said SOSBIS was paying the rent for those people.
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Jack typically only offers a daily rate, but he said people couldn鈥檛 afford to spend a full month at his daily rate.
鈥淪o I said, this is what I鈥檒l do for you: I鈥檒l do it by the month,鈥� he said.
Jack said this is the first year he鈥檚 seen people coming to him as a solution 鈥� temporary or otherwise 鈥� for their housing issues.
鈥淚t never came up in the past; it just came up this year,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he other campgrounds, during the summer, they charge by the day, and there鈥檚 no monthly rental.鈥�
Jack said one couple is still living on the campground, as they still haven鈥檛 managed to find a place.
鈥淭hey might stay all winter, because they can鈥檛 afford to rent any houses, because the housing, the lowest one was $1,700 a month,鈥� he said, referring to a two-bedroom rate.
In the past week, the Western News has spoken to two families who have had to camp out in the past, or continue to camp out in lieu of a bricks and mortar home. One of those families is still camping out in the Carmi hill area, while another family has found a home in Peachland.
In fact, the latter family said they camped out at Jack鈥檚 campground along Green Mountain Road, about a kilometre from the Okanagan River Channel.
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Jack said he remembered Penny Brown-Alvord, who spoke earlier this week about her experience looking for housing. He said he rented the family an RV spot for their trailer and tent.
鈥淭hey got sewer, water, washrooms, free Wi-Fi, free water, washrooms and 24-hour security,鈥� Jack said, noting he also runs XR Homeland Security.
But Brown-Alvord wasn鈥檛 the only family to take advantage of his campground.
鈥淭here were some ladies from Saskatchewan that were working out here and they didn鈥檛 have no place to stay, they couldn鈥檛 afford nothing,鈥� Jack said. 鈥淭hey rented by the month, $400 a month for their tents.鈥�
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Jack said he was trying to live up to the name his father gave him, Somtitsa, adding that he was happy to help people who were in need, because he felt that would come back around to him.
In fact, one couple who rented from him said he didn鈥檛 know what to do with it. Though it was in need of a fix-up, Jack said he was happy to renovate it and rent it out next summer.
鈥淧eople come here sometimes without tents,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have about three or four tents. I just say, 鈥榳ell, here. I鈥檒l loan you a tent, you pay me the rent.鈥欌��
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