City council candidate Daniel Joseph leads a protest by Kelowna tent city residents outside city hall on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. A Kelowna city council candidate led a protest outside city hall Monday afternoon to highlight the plight of the city’s homeless population. Daniel Joseph says it’s an issue that concerns him. “I was kicked out of home at 16. I’ve lived in shelters, I’ve lived in my car, I was homeless myself in my youth,” Joseph explains. “When I was 19 to 20, two of my best friends both died of drug overdoses.” Joseph joined about 50 homeless people he says can’t find an affordable place to live to get off the streets. He and running mate Gord Lovegrove want zoning changes to make it easier to build affordable housing. “One of the things I wanted to shed light on is that people talk about homelessness, drug abuse and mental illness as if it’s specifically a provincial issue. While I strongly disagree. “And both Gord Lovegrove and I believe we need strategic, smart growth in the city, and zoning is one of the most important things we can look at,” says Joseph. He says most of the apartment towers under construction or in the planning stages in the city won’t help low-income people or ease the rental crisis. He suggested instead focusing on mid-rise residential development. “We need to push for the development of low- to medium-rise housing developments that will house 40 to 70 people versus the four to 12 we’re going to get out of the equivalent RU7 zone.” Joseph argues that providing more affordable housing will curb the rising crime associated with people living on the streets. “No homeless person who supported me wants to sleep on the streets. In fact, everyone who came with me to the rally are all tent city dwellers, and 90 percent of them right now, if there were apartments available for $700-$800 a month, they would all pay and live in apartments. “ He says getting people off the streets will help neighbors and businesses concerned about crime and drug use on or near their property. Photo: Daniel Joseph