Month: April 2021

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Province buys beleagured Patricia Hotel, two other DTES properties, to house Strathcona Park campers, others

“Our government is committed to providing the housing with supports vulnerable people in our community need so no one is forced to live outside in unsafe conditions,” Melanie Mark, MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, said in the release. https://www.straight.com/news/province-buys-beleagured-patricia-hotel-two-other-dtes-properties-to-house-strathcona-park Continue reading Province buys beleagured Patricia Hotel, two other DTES properties, to house Strathcona Park campers, others

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What’s in BC’s Budget for Homelessness? Not Much New

The risk of not housing people was clear. This spring, rising COVID-19 cases in some Downtown Eastside buildings as well as a dysentery outbreak among homeless and poorly-housed people in the neighbourhood highlighted the risks for people living without access to bathrooms or places to wash their hands, or sharing tents and tiny single-room occupancies. … Continue reading What’s in BC’s Budget for Homelessness? Not Much New

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Province spends $9.4 million on building to house more homeless persons in Victoria

The provincial government and the city have committed to finding temporary housing by April 30 for more than 200 people currently living in outdoor encampments. To date, 116 people have been moved indoors into shelter spaces in the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and the Capital City Centre Hotel. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/province-spends-9-4-million-purchase-housing-homeless-1.5971575 Continue reading Province spends $9.4 million on building to house more homeless persons in Victoria

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Winter shelter for Kelowna homeless will run through summer

“Typically, many of the temporary shelters that we operate close at the end of March. However, given that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and there is a particularly large need for this space right now in Kelowna, we are extending operations at temporary shelters,” BC Housing said. https://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/article_cec6fc72-972b-11eb-a49d-c7e1f58ab517.html Continue reading Winter shelter for Kelowna homeless will run through summer

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Kelowna homeless forced to ‘perform’ for resources, says UBCO study

Cook said the people she spoke with learned how to tailor their interactions to the expectations of different service providers — with a successful performance meaning the difference between being deemed appropriate for services, or not. Often over-burdened, providers sometimes have to be selective in who they choose to offer their services to. Continue reading Kelowna homeless forced to ‘perform’ for resources, says UBCO study

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Homeless people are our brothers and sisters

Clinical psychologist Sam Tsemberis acted when he saw homeless programs in New York were not working. Homeless people had to show they had overcome addiction and mental illness, and found work, before getting housing. Social agencies were putting the cart before the horse by not housing them first. https://www.saultstar.com/opinion/homeless-people-are-our-brothers-and-sisters Continue reading Homeless people are our brothers and sisters

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Homeless people in Surrey rise up against police and bylaw officers seizing their possessions

Some very poor people in Surrey are saying enough is enough. After repeated seizures of their possessions by police and bylaw officers, they held a rally outside the Surrey Urban Mission Society office in Whalley earlier this month. They’ve alleged that the City of Surrey “steals from the homeless”. https://www.straight.com/news/homeless-people-in-surrey-rise-up-against-police-and-bylaw-officers-seizing-their-possessions Continue reading Homeless people in Surrey rise up against police and bylaw officers seizing their possessions

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There is more turnover at Calgary homeless shelters than you think, new study suggests

The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy said there is a “misconception that people who experience homelessness are the same people, month in and month out,” when, in fact, people who use emergency shelters are “not necessarily the same people who will use them next month.” Continue reading There is more turnover at Calgary homeless shelters than you think, new study suggests