Man's death inside recycling truck highlights broken support system for people who are homeless, advocates say

Homeless advocates in Penticton say the death of a 52-year old man who was sleeping in an unlocked dumpster puts a spotlight on the homelessness crisis and the need for more funding and affordable housing options.

On Wednesday, Penticton RCMP say aman was accidentally crushed in the back of a recycling truck after he and the contents of the dumpster were collectedand compacted. He was freed from the truck and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but died on Thursday.

"It was really heartbreaking to hear that someone was so desperate for safety and shelter that they decided to sleep in a bin," said Desiree Surowski, one of the founders of the Penticton Overdose Prevention Society.

"It says that we, as a community, don't have enough resources."

Right now, the Penticton and District Society for Community Living operates two homeless shelters in Penticton, but the society's CEO says it's not enough.

"The number of homeless people that we support in Penticton far exceeds the beds we have available," said CEO Tony Laing.

It's unclear how many people are homeless in Pentiction, but at the height of the winter season, Laing says over 150 people visited their shelters, yet there are only 75 spaces available.

He says he's surprised tragic events like this don't happen more often.

"Even if he [the 52-year-old man] had looked for shelter in one of the beds, there may not have been one available," he said.

The tragedy coincides with the closure of the Victory Church shelter in Penticton, asresidents were moved to a new emergency shelter at the Compass Complex.

Penticton's housing crisis

While B.C.'s homelessness crisis can often seem isolated to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Laing says it's affecting every region in the province and is exacerbatedby the housing crisis.

"This is just another example of the housing crisis and where it strikes at those who are most vulnerable," said Laing.

He's calling on the provincial government to fund more affordable housing and rental units.

It's a plea echoed by Surowski who is calling on the City of Penticton to do more to address the lack of housing.

Penticton currently has a rental vacancy rate of 1.1 per cent, according to theCanadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Surowski says Penticton is often viewed as an idyllic small town and summer tourism destination, but, because of that, she says it feels as if the community is afraid to admit it's facing a homelessness crisis.

"They're unwilling to just accept that is in our community and like 'let's buckle down and deal with it,'" she said.

"These are our community members."

Unless governments at all levels municipal, provincial and federal commit to truly tackling the crisis, Laing worries Penticton will see more unnecessary deaths.

"This is just going to be one of many tragedies," he said.

In a written statement, the City of Penticton extended its condolences to the man's family and relativesbut did not reply to the advocates'concerns about the city'shomelessness crisis except to say it hopedthe information currently being gathered by the RCMP and the B.C. Coroner's Service wouldprovide additional details about what happened.