John Howard Society of Okanagan & Kootenay

The John Howard Society of Okanagan & Kootenay is a registered charity and social service agency operating in the Okanagan community for more than 60 years. Our organization has a strong history of assisting individuals experiencing a variety of challenges and social issues such as poverty, homelessness, mental health concerns, neurodevelopmental disabilities, and involvement in the criminal justice system. Our goal is to contribute to community wellness by offering services that support clients in a number of areas, including providing and assisting with housing, community reintegration, advocacy, support with mental health and addictions, while learning how to be accountable to others and responsible for themselves. It is important to have compassion balanced with strength so that we may provide the best in care for all of our program participants. The work of JHSOK is possible because of the combined drive and effort of staff and volunteers, interagency collaboration, partnerships with funders, support by the community, and by the amazing and resilient people we serve. Johann Hari said that, “the opposite of Addiction is Connection”, could we go further then, and say that, “the opposite of Homelessness is Community”? At JHSOK we do just that, we help to bridge the gap and build strong communities, where everyone is welcome, included, and safe.