Tents pitched and people huddled on Leon Avenue as temperatures cool

The overnight temperatures in Kelowna are starting to cool, forcing people on the streets to seek shelter or simply find more blankets.

Once winter arrives, shelters will be packed at the seams, and people will try to stay where they can.

Some have opted for sleeping on the streets to avoid unsafe environments, or because they've relapsed, but there are many other reasons why people end up on the streets.

Now that summer's over, staying warm at night will become a greater challenge.

One group has chosen to pitch a tent in the gravel parking lot on Leon Avenue.

On Saturday morning, their tent take-down started at about 7 a.m.

"We get asked to move along every day between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.," said Steve.

A couple of years ago, he and his buddies slept outside during the winter.

"We had this backpack that opened like a couch and then had plastic sheeting around us," he said.

While it worked for Steve and his buddies, he said he'll have to figure something else out this year.

"I have a girlfriend now. It's fine to do that with a bunch of guys, but not now," he said.

Dressed in an outdoors man's vest and equipped with a multi-tool, gloves and pepper spray, Brad looks like he's in survivor mode and ready for the elements.

"I had a house in West Kelowna and a job in the oil fields in northern Alberta, but I gave it up for this life because I had a relapse," he said.

What he wasn't prepared for, however, was the $150 ticket he received a couple of times from a police officer for failing to wear a bicycle helmet while on his bike.

"Go down to Bernard Ave. and see how many people aren't wearing helmets," he said.

Dealing with being shuffled along wears on Steve and his friends, but he said that so far the bylaw officers with the red shirts have been respectful and appreciate how clean they keep their tent area.

James has a place to stay but he's lived on the streets before.

"Some of these people haven't slept in days, because they keep getting woken up and asked to move along," said James. "You'll just start to sleep for about 15 minutes and then get woken up again."

"The red coat by law officers are nice about it," he said.

However, the issue remains, people continue to get shoed along without a place to go.

"If everyone slept in the shelters, they'd be full," said Steve.

But he said some people like to sleep outside because the atmosphere inside the shelters can get quite tense.

For now, the weather is still mild enough to stay outside.