The Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness is co-chaired by Sharon Welch (Forward House Community Society), Violet Hayes (Island Crisis Care Society) and Susanna Newton (Society of Organized Services). Task Force members include representatives from:
Canadian Mental Health Association
The Career Centre
Forward House Community Society
Island Crisis Care Society
Manna Homeless Society
Oceanside Health Centre
RCMP Oceanside Detachment
Regional District of Nanaimo
Society of Organized Services
Town of Qualicum Beach
Vancouver Island Regional Library
More About Our Partners (alphabetical order)
Canadian Mental Health Association
www.cmha.bc.ca | 1-250-244-4042 (Nanaimo)
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a national charity that helps maintain and improve mental health for all Canadians. As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness.
Canadian Mental Health Association is a national charity that helps maintain and improve mental health for all Canadians. CMHA supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness.
The Career Centre
www.careercentre.org | 250-248-3205
The Career Centre in Parksville helps connect employees with employers providing an efficient and effective way to help get people in the community the jobs they need.
Forward House Community Society
www.forwardhouse.com | 250-954-0785
Forward House – at 136 East Hirst Avenue, Parksville – provides day programs for adults experiencing mental health challenges (some with concurrent addiction issues) who are living in School District 69. Forward House offers programs in education, life skills, recreation and expressive therapies, as well as the Healthy Eating Meal Program, which provides six lunches and three dinners per week plus nutritional education.
Forward House provides a strengths-based culture that focuses on individual’s talents and abilities. They create a safe, friendly, family-like environment where clients are empowered to develop and maintain independence and autonomy by giving them tools to enhance their skills. Forward House has also developed a successful vocational program through their Lawn Care Services team. It also provides support groups for caregivers, conducts community presentations on mental health stigma and compassionate communication and hosts several practicum students each year.
www.islandcrisiscaresociety.ca | 778-441-4227
ICCS is a registered non-profit society helping people in crisis to stabilize and then find the support, resources and services needed to recover and be well. ICCS works in cooperation with provincial and federal agencies, community groups and faith-based organizations to develop housing options and programs that respect the needs of individuals with multiple challenges or concurrent disorders.
Since 2003 Hirst House has provided six stabilization beds to clients in Oceanside. The Island Health Mental Health and Substance Use team assess and refers clients to Hirst House and provides clinical support and case management.
Hirst House is staffed 24/7 to ensure the safety and security of each person. Residents have their own private room and enjoy home cooked meals and empathetic support.
As an integral part of Oceanside HOST (Homelessness Outreach Support Team), ICCS provides weekend outreach support to clients. Since building relationships with local landlords, we hold leases on several rental suites in the community to ensure accessibility for clients who may not have references. Clients can then have an occupancy agreement with ICCS and build a record of successful tenancy. Using Housing First principles, we have successfully housed many clients who had been chronically homeless for many years.
Together with professionals in the social service field, ICCS created Crescent House, which has become a model used by communities throughout B.C. This successful model provides a short-term “oasis in the storm” where individuals can rest and recover before moving to independent living or other forms of housing.
ICCS also operates the Orca Place supportive housing development in Parksville which was an initiative of the Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness. Read more about Orca here and check out this video on a success story.
Manna Homeless Society
www.mannahomelesssociety.com | 250-248-8045
Overseen by a Board of Directors and co-founder, Robin Campbell, Manna Homeless Society (MHS) exists because of its committed volunteers and incredible community support. We operate entirely with volunteer labour.
MHS was established in 2011 as a charitable organization that cares for the well-being of the homeless and the impoverished in Oceanside. Our area of outreach covers Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Coombs, Whiskey Creek, Qualicum Beach and Qualicum Bay.
MHS is a non-profit organization that is supported by individuals, corporations and foundations and issues tax receipts for donations.
Manna is a completely volunteer run registered society that offers emergency outreach and ongoing support to the homeless in our community. They provide survival packs to help the homeless live outside more safely. On Saturday mornings they provide food packages to help both the homeless and those spending most of their income on housing. In addition, they provide contact and genuine conversation. Manna works in cooperation with other organizations such as the SOS, Kiwanis and the Salvation Army to help homeless and poverty stricken people in the Oceanside area.
OHEARTS
Oceanside Health Centre
www.islandhealth.ca | 250-951-9550
Island Health provides health care services through a network of hospitals, clinics, centres, health units and residential care locations.
They serve more than 800,000 people on Vancouver Island, the islands of the Salish Sea and Johnstone Strait and mainland communities from Powell River north to Rivers Inlet. Island Health delivers many types of health care services for residents, clients and patients. Island Health offers innovative treatment and support to those impacted by mental health and substance abuse issues.
RCMP Oceanside Detachment
www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/detach/en/d/173 | 250-248-6111 (non-emergency)
The B.C. RCMP proudly provides municipal, provincial and federal policing in areas that range from isolated Aboriginal communities and coastal villages to major cities. This detachment serves: Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, Coombs, Hilliers, Errington, French Creek, Dashwood, Englishman River, Shaw Hill, Qualicum Bay, Deep Bay, Bowser and Lasqueti Island.
Regional District of Nanaimo
www.rdn.bc.ca | 1-877-607-4111
There are four municipalities in the RDN – Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville and Qualicum Beach, plus a large rural population comprised of seven electoral areas. Each municipality and electoral area in the regional federation receives a variety of services from the RDN and is represented on the Task Force by the Director for Area G, Lehann Wallace.
District 69 Society of Organized Services
www.sosd69.com | 250-248-2093
SOS is a non-profit charity, see the website for information including its vision and mission. The SOS also hosts the Task Force Coordinator.
SOS Community Services Centres are located at 245 West Hirst Avenue in Parksville and 744 Primrose Street in Qualicum Beach (at Qualicum Commons). The Centres offer high quality programs and services to residents of all ages, including those that meet basic needs, programs that provide an outlet for social interaction, education and camaraderie, while improving quality of life.
The SOS Thrift Shop is 18,000 square feet of treasures, located at 188 West Hirst Avenue in Parksville. It provides SOS with about 80% of its programming funding. Support at the Thrift Shop, as well as monetary donations, are critical to the continuation of vital community programs and services.
Stay connected to SOS by signing up to receive the E-newsletter through its website, or follow on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Town of Qualicum Beach
www.qualicumbeach.com | 250-752-6921
Qualicum Beach is a Coastal community located on the Strait of Georgia (Salish Sea) on the north-eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Home to approximately 9,000 residents. Qualicum Beach is a popular tourist destination as well as a retirement community that is known for its pristine beaches, parks, trails and high quality of life.
Vancouver Island Regional Library
https://virl.bc.ca/branches/parksville/ | 1-877-415-VIRL (8475)
The Parksville library branch opened in 1937. Parksville had a history of library service prior to that in the form of a travelling library. The library has been at its current location on Jensen Avenue since 2001. It received an aesthetic makeover in early 2019.
Oceanside Homelessness Task Force - District 69, Parksville, BC 