A restoration initiative is ongoing at Kelowna's Tent City, and the atmosphere is tense said Kevin Mead the community safety director with the City of Kelowna, during a press conference on March 27.

Tent City is the colloquial term used to refer to the city-maintained outdoor sheltering site located along the Rail Trail at Richter Street in the city's North End. 

"We are trying something different," said Mead.

the City of Kelowna is also restructuring Tent City, said Mead. 

He said that while many residents were accepting of the changes, seven people have been arrested since the cleaning and restructuring efforts began on Wednesday. 

He explained that the current model is not working and is unsafe for both those who are unsheltered and their housed neighbours.

Mead said that as the press conference was being held, Tent City residents were also being informed that the number of people who would be able to call Tent City home on a full-time basis will be reduced to 60 sites. Additionally, the footprint of the sites is being reduced.

Currently, there are approximately 200 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Kelowna, many of whom reside at Tent City. Shelters in Kelowna are also at near capacity and many of those who live at Tent City have as they have difficulty living in close proximity to others and abiding by rules. 

Mead said that the residents at Tent City who agree to abide by a set code of conduct, are those who will be granted a permanent space at the outdoor sheltering site. 

Capital 亚洲天堂 was sent photos of the Good Neighbour Agreement and Code of Conduct contracts that have been distributed to residents. The Code of Conduct states that there may only be a maximum of two residents, one tarp and one tent per site. Each person allowed only one functional bike. The code states that people cannot build permanent structures or use fire of any kind. 

Each site is also allowed only one dog, which must be licensed, leashed and under control at all times. 

"Failure to adhere to the outdoor sheltering site guidelines will result in removal from the area and loss of a site," states the guidelines.

All others will be able to use the adjacent temporary site and will be required to remove their belongings and vacate the premises each morning. 

Further, full-time security has been hired by the city and will remain on-site 24 hours a day to ensure people who live at Tent City are safe and to prevent criminality from seeping into the site. Similar to protocols in place at indoor shelters in Kelowna, guards will be granted permission to check the belongings of those entering the site for stolen goods. It was not made clear at the press conference how this would be implemented or how security guards would know which items were stolen.

Additionally, only those who reside at Tent City will be allowed to enter the site. Mead said this is in response to concerns of safety raised by residents who have experienced harassment and violence from members of the public.

Currently, fencing and a stamp system of resident identification are being used to enforce the residents-only rule but Mead said that both measures are temporary. 

He did not elaborate on an exact timeline of when the fencing will be removed.