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Saying yes in my backyard

September 29th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Saying yes in my backyard)

An online YIMBY toolkit from Vancouver’s Pivot Legal Society may be coming soon to a neighbourhood near you

NIMBY is an acronym for “not in my backyard” used to describe a person who objects to something they perceive as unpleasant or potentially dangerous in their own neighborhood. YIMBY—“yes, in my backyard”— is a lesser known antonym to NIMBY. The term YIMBY first emerged in the late 1980s and is used to describe people who understand the value of addressing homelessness, addictions, and mental illness in a proactive and positive way and are active in welcoming new projects and people into their neighbourhoods. (more…)

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Is new housing a ‘nightmare’?

September 22nd, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Is new housing a ‘nightmare’?)

Opponents to a new housing project for teenage girls say it must exist outside the DTES, away from pimps, predators

Atira Women’s Resource Society has opened an 18-unit single room accommodation facility for young women in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. The Society says it is responding to an urgent need for low barrier supportive housing for girls and young women who are homeless or in unsafe conditions.

But opposition to the move has been fierce and considerable. Most of the concern seems to focus on the location—and use of a building in the Downtown Eastside. But other concerns have been expressed about the process that led to the project’s opening—and plans for the way it will operate. (more…)

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Walking at VIU for the AIDS cause

September 15th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Walking at VIU for the AIDS cause)

National event raises funds to provide support and services for Canadians living with HIV/AIDS in their communities

The Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is a national awareness and fundraising event that takes place every year in communities across Canada. Funds raised support direct programs and services for Canadians living with HIV/AIDS in their communities. On Thursday September 22, AIDS Vancouver Island will hold its Nanaimo and area AIDS Walk at Vancouver Island University.

As many as 68,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. One third of them don’t even know it. There is no cure and no vaccine to prevent new infections. Women make up a growing proportion of people living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS in Canada. (more…)

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Social enterprises hold promise

July 21st, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Social enterprises hold promise)

Small social enterprises exist—and even thrive—but do they really help to prevent the highs and lows of unstable funding?

Social enterprises are business ventures operated by non-profit societies, charities, or co-operatives. The businesses sell goods or provide services in the market for the purpose of creating a blended return on investment, both financial and social. Their profits are returned to the business or to a social purpose, rather than maximizing profits to shareholders.

How do social enterprises work? How can small or struggling nonprofits develop their own business ventures? (more…)

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Shelter strategy criticized

December 9th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Shelter strategy criticized)

Nanaimo’s shelter and homelessness strategies need improvement, critics say

Extreme weather shelters in B.C. provide extra emergency shelter space during periods of winter weather when the health and safety of homeless individuals is threatened. Nanaimo’s low-barrier extreme weather shelter was opened earlier this year than in past due to changed  weather criteria. Despite the relaxed guidelines, one advocate wants to see a wet-weather shelter that is open more often. Community activist Wallace Malay has been lobbying the City of Nanaimo for a shelter that is open more often—or all winter long. He’s uploading videos to YouTube and circulating emails calling for a change in approach. (more…)

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AVI 25 years and counting

December 2nd, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on AVI 25 years and counting)

Vancouver Island’s regional AIDS organization continues its work amid change and challenge

On September 17, 1985, five men sat around a kitchen table and decided it was time to meet the challenge posed by the AIDS epidemic on Vancouver Island. That evening saw the birth of AIDS Vancouver Island (AVI), with the founders forming the first board of directors. Now, 25 years later, AVI serves the communities of Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley, and Campbell River, and also offers services in the Port Hardy area. (more…)

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