Homeless Outreach Program
The Homeless Outreach Program has expanded and non-profit organizations have been selected to begin homeless outreach services in seven communities and four organizations have also been selected to provide increased outreach services in Vancouver and Prince George.
In Vancouver, the new organizations providing services are Collingwood Neighbourhood House in Collingwood/Renfrew, Kettle Friendship Society in Grandview, and MPA Society in Kitsilano.
"Being part of the Homeless Outreach Program means we can meet the needs of homeless people in our community more effectively," said Paula Carr, Executive Director, Collingwood Neighbourhood House. "This gives us the resources to go where people are and give them support. One of our objectives is to create a neighbourhood that is more caring. I think that when you understand homeless people live in your own community, you feel a greater sense of responsibility toward them than you do when you hear about the number of homeless across the whole Lower Mainland."
"There’s been a marked increase in the number of homeless people in the Grandview/Woodlands area over the past few years," said Nancy Keough, Executive Director at the Kettle Friendship Society. "We’re very excited to be able to have outreach staff out on the street, talking with homeless people and connecting them with services. We see them at our drop-in centre all the time, and now we’ll be able to meet them where they’re at."
Outreach workers provide immediate and long-term assistance to people on the street by offering food, clothing, and shelter as well as access to transition services such as life-skills training and health and social programs. By providing intensive, one-on-one help such as arranging and attending appointments with the homeless, the outreach workers enable them to receive health, nutrition and other basic services.