Formed in 2010 by the City of Parksville, the Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness (OTFH) is committed to addressing homelessness and related issues across the Oceanside region of Vancouver Island. Below is a brief history of the Task Force and a timeline of accomplishments.
* Read more about Task Force projects on their own pages: HOST / Orca Place / Emergency Shelter / Homeless Count / Project Connect / Strategic Plan
2020 Highlights
Like the rest of the world things have been extra complicated for the Task Force in 2020 with many of the partner organization’s activities interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Task Force was busy at the start of the year redoing its Strategic Plan and preparing for a second provincially organized Point-in-Time Homeless Count in April.
As the first review of the Strategic Plan since it was developed in 2014, a review is meant as a marker of the Task Force’s current state, progress and direction. Members held two all day planning sessions and a forum with over a dozen invited guests including a formerly homeless person, a landlord and representatives from other organizations. Run by a professional facilitator, the review was meant to wrap up in April with a public forum, but that has been postponed indefinitely.
Similarly, the Task Force backed, second ever provincial Point-in-Time Homeless Count, was deep in the planning stages when it was postponed in March. The work done planning events, lining up volunteers and mapping potential locations with experts, will be a useful starting place when it eventually re-starts.
There have been huge efforts to keep crucial services available to the most vulnerable clients during the pandemic. A Task Force initiated Cold Weather Shelter, operated by a new church consortium, transitioned into a motel as a special COVID shelter and continued operating for example.
While the coordinator was laid off for almost four months from March to July, a skeleton staff at the SOS continued to disperse federal emergency funds through HPS (Homelessness Partnering Strategy) in coordination with other community groups.
Emergency measures like CERB (Canadian Emergency Response Benefit), an increase in Income Assistance and the COVID shelter, have led to a temporary decrease in need, but this may not leave people better off when the assistance ends.
In the meantime, the OTFH partners are focused on the health and safety of their staff and clients and working extra hard to keep up with the constantly shifting situation.
2019 Highlights
The Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness had a busy 2019 including some gaps in the coordinator position, some challenges and some big successes.
After two years of work, construction on the supportive housing project on Corfield in Parksville was underway and named Orca Place early in the year. The Task Force initiated project was built by BC Housing on land provided by the RDN and City of Parksville. It was completed in the summer and the 52 units were filled with local residents by the fall. The development is operated by Island Crisis Care Society (ICCS).
Through the federal Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), the coordinator distributed emergency assistance to 74 individuals (April to Dec. 2019) helping with things like outdoor survival gear, short hotel stays, or one time rent subsidies to help get people off the street.
Projects (2019)
The Task Force’s sixth annual Project Connect Health Fair was a success on October 10, bringing 70 homeless and at-risk of homelessness people together with 20 relevant services like public health nurses and free haircuts along with a lot of donated goods and services from local businesses.
Another initiative of the Task Force, the eight bed Cold Weather Shelter ran at close to capacity from November 1 to March 31 in previous years. A permanent shelter space was built in Orca Place, however Parksville City Council later objected to the use of the purpose built space.
The Task Force supported the Island Crisis Care Society’s (ICCS) Coldest Night of the Year Walk in February, in which 125 people walked and raised $28,000 for local homeless outreach work.
* A COVID friendly version of the annual walk (virtual or in person) will be held this coming February 20, 2021. Click for details.
Timeline
2019
– Orca Place long-term supportive housing project opens in August in Parksville with 52 rooms.
– Start review and update of Task Force’s Strategic Plan (interrupted by COVID-19).
– OHEARTS, consortium of churches formed to run Cold Weather Shelter over the winter.
– Hosted Project Connect Health Fair.
– Supported ICCS’s Coldest Night of the Year Walk
2018
– Point-in-Time Homeless Count – First provincially organized count
– Hosted Cold Weather Shelter
– Hosted Project Connect Health Fair
– Supported ICCS’s Coldest Night of the Year Walk
2017
– Cold Weather Shelter established, open every night through the winter, different from Extreme Weather Shelters which are only open on nights colder than a specific temperature.
– Hosted Project Connect Health Fair
– Supported ICCS’s Coldest Night of the Year Walk
2016
– Operated Extreme Weather Shelter (2016-17)
– Hosted Project Connect Health Fair
– Launch of the Oceanside Homelessness Task Force Website
– Supported ICCS’s Coldest Night of the Year Walk
2015
– Hosted Extreme Weather Shelter (November to March).
– SOS chosen by BC Housing to host the HPP (Homeless Prevention Program) in part because of the direction and success of the Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness.
– Hosted a Housing First training event with Housing First specialist, Karen Poffenroth, from Calgary, attended by agencies from across Vancouver Island.
– Supported ICCS to bring the Coldest Night of the Year Walk to Oceanside. Raised $26,259 with 200 walkers participating.
– Project Connect Health Fair increased communication and coordination among a number of agencies which led to a formalized agreement from many service providers to create HOST.
– Homelessness Outreach Support Team known as HOST established. Over 80 people have had housing help as a direct result of the work of the Task Force, mostly through HOST and Orca Place.
2014
– Operated Extreme Weather Shelter (November to March).
– Service provider housing assessment brought together all local service agencies with BC Housing to enable introductions and understanding of client demographics and the specific housing needs to be addressed.
– Community forum on the housing assessment.
– The Task Force was contacted by Costco to help bring fruit and vegetables to the community. The Salvation Army was able to pick up and distribute to clients at the soup kitchen, food bank and through Manna Homeless Society.
– Sleep Outside Challenge and the first annual Project Connect Health Fair facilitated community collaboration.
– Two people attended second Canadian Conference to End Homelessness in Vancouver to learn more about Housing First practices with a rural focus.
– Supported ICCS to apply for funding and awarded a second round of federal HPS (Homelessness Partnering Strategies) funding to initiate and develop a Housing First system. This was the beginning of the Housing First team.
2013
– Operated the Extreme Weather Shelter (November to March).
– A Point-in-Time count identified 67 individuals as homeless or at risk. The numbers were consistent but due to the nature of the count, was likely under-representative of the actual situation.
– Supported the SOS to apply for federal funding. Awarded HPS funding to do a Needs Assessment, raise community awareness and build inter-agency collaboration.
– The Task Force coordinator attended first Canadian Conference to End Homelessness in Ottawa to learn about Housing First practices and community strategies to end homelessness.
– Service provider community mapping event.
2012
– Operated Extreme Weather Shelter (November to March).
– Community forums in Parksville and Qualicum Beach were the first community conversations around homelessness.
2011
– Under the auspices of the Task Force, the first Extreme Weather Shelter opened in partnership with the Salvation Army and SOS Society of Organized Services (SOS). A shelter continues to operate each year and is now a Cold Weather Shelter – open every night from November to March.
– The first Point-in-Time homeless count was conducted with 68 individuals identified as homeless or at-risk. A Point-in-Time count is done in one day at select locations and requires people to come forward to be identified. It is therefore recognized as likely under-representing the actual numbers.
2010
– Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness started by the City of Parksville.
* Check the 2014 local homelessness Needs Assessment here.