Homeless Outreach Program
The Homeless Outreach Program, active in nearly 40 communities in B.C., funds workers with local community and health organizations to help people who have been living on the street find stable housing. It addresses a client’s immediate physical and safety needs, such as food and warm clothing and connects them with income assistance and social and health services.
The Homeless Outreach Program also provides links to other support services such as life skills training, personal health, financial management, and crisis intervention.Homeless Outreach Program in Vancouver
Four Homeless Outreach teams currently work in Vancouver and over 700 people have found stable housing through the program.
The Vancouver component of the program is expanding. An Expression of Interest was issued in February for additional providers. Proposals are being reviewed and names of the successful societies will be released soon. New workers will service the Grandview, Collingwood/Renfrew and Kitsilano neighbourhoods.
Profile of a Homeless Outreach Worker
Meet Christoph Hofmeister, RainCity Housing and Support Society
Christoph is part of a team of RainCity Outreach workers who care for clients in groups of two. He and his partner work in the Downtown Eastside to find clients who may be eligible for support through the Homeless Outreach Program. In his eight months as part of the program Christoph has worked with about 180 clients. About one in two people he meets end up finding housing within a day and about 50 per cent of the others find housing soon thereafter.
The intensity of the work that needs to be done with clients dictates that Christoph only works with about two people a day. He seeks out clients by checking to see who’s sleeping in doorways, under bridges, or other outdoor places. Some drop-in centres and other community groups are now referring people to the program.
People Christoph meets are often desperate and willing to build a relationship with him quickly. Many have given up on seeking help because of the perceived stigma and scrutiny they have to undergo to receive assistance and they are not aware of the extra benefits entitled to people when they are first receiving income assistance. It can be really hard for a person who’s been sleeping on the street to overcome their anxieties and get back into housing. "It’s really important for them to have someone to help them through the process," he said.
Until recently, RainCity Housing and Support Society was known as Triage Emergency Services & Care Society. The society’s programs include emergency housing, supported housing, women’s housing, long-term housing, community living support, outreach programs, food services and life skills management support. The organization is a leader in providing services and programs for people living with mental illness, addictions and other challenges.