Month: May 2021

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Diane Wheatley’s daughter suffers from drug addiction and is homeless. She believes Vernon needs better outreach before she’s found dead.

Wheatley says the drugs have turned her daughter into someone unrecognizable. Before she started using, Wheatley said her daughter had no problem holding three jobs. Now, her daughter is unemployed. Wheatley herself has medical issues of her own, which make it difficult for her to travel back and forth to see and help her daughter. … Continue reading Diane Wheatley’s daughter suffers from drug addiction and is homeless. She believes Vernon needs better outreach before she’s found dead.

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From opportunities to challenges: A closer look inside one of Victoria’s ‘homeless hotels’

Tomiczek says she lost her rental suite in Chinatown after a serious bout of pneumonia prevented her from working. She moved into the Howard Johnson last spring, one of 78 residents who now live in the facility leased by BC housing and operated by Our Place Society. Continue reading From opportunities to challenges: A closer look inside one of Victoria’s ‘homeless hotels’

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Should people with severe mental illnesses and no home be forced into treatment?

It was with a heavy heart this week that Julian Daly, executive director of the Our Place Society in Victoria, decided to pen a commentary in the Times Colonist calling for involuntary care for a small subsection of people with severe psychiatric disorders who are experiencing homelessness. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/should-people-with-severe-mental-illnesses-and-no-home-be-forced-into-treatment-1.6007637 Continue reading Should people with severe mental illnesses and no home be forced into treatment?

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Tents remain in Victoria parks as homeless campers await indoor space

Campers in Victoria parks who have accepted an offer of indoor housing but are still waiting for that housing to be ready are exempt from the city bylaw that requires tents to be taken down by 7 a.m. each morning. https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/tents-remain-in-victoria-parks-as-homeless-campers-await-indoor-space-1.5411050 Continue reading Tents remain in Victoria parks as homeless campers await indoor space

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Demand for youth needing shelter evidence of ‘system failure’ in B.C., says Victoria mayor

Emily Jackson was just 14-years-old when she found herself without a home. “My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal breast cancer, I had no other supports,” said Jackson. “And there were other factors in my housing situation that made it unsafe to live.” Because of her age, Jackson didn’t qualify for government help. Continue reading Demand for youth needing shelter evidence of ‘system failure’ in B.C., says Victoria mayor

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Michael Ochoa went from the street to helpings others in similar situations

Michael Ochoa was sitting in the Vernon Towne Theatre when he realized he had nowhere to go. “I didn’t have a home, didn’t have any money for a motel, and I was in shock,” he says. “I don’t even remember what the movies were.” https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/332660/Michael-Ochoa-went-from-the-street-to-helpings-others-in-similar-situations Continue reading Michael Ochoa went from the street to helpings others in similar situations

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OLD NEWS: Housing as a fundamental human right & national housing legislation

“Adequate housing is a fundamental human right that is recognized in international law, including the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Canada is a party. Yet the fact remains that 1.7 million people in Canada are living in homes that are inadequate or unaffordable. Another 25,000 Canadians are chronically homeless. This is unacceptable in a country … Continue reading OLD NEWS: Housing as a fundamental human right & national housing legislation