People First Media program archive
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Growing numbers of elderly people are homeless in Victoria

June 6th, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Growing numbers of elderly people are homeless in Victoria)

Seniors homelessness is on the rise in Greater Victoria—prompting a call for more age-appropriate housing

picture 482A change is being seen among homeless people in Victoria, British Columbia. Alan Rycroft, a spokesperson for the Victoria Cool Aid Society, told MetroNews, “In our shelter system, we’ve been watching the ages climb and we also see it in our intake for supportive housing.” Andrew Wynn-Williams, executive director of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, told MetroNews that it’s a matter of demographics: “We have an aging population, and that will impact on the homeless population as well.” (more…)

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Is the shelter ’emergency’, ‘extreme weather’, ‘cold wet weather’ or ‘winter’?

March 28th, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Is the shelter ’emergency’, ‘extreme weather’, ‘cold wet weather’ or ‘winter’?)

It seems words can indicate pivotal differences among shelters for homeless people during British Columbia winters

British Columbia’s Extreme Weather Response program enables communities to temporarily increase emergency shelter capacity during extreme weather conditions that threaten the safety and health of individuals and families who are homeless. The program funds time-limited, temporary shelter beds needed during extreme weather conditions from approximately November 1st to March 31st. (more…)

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Affordable housing project clears milestone

March 27th, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Affordable housing project clears milestone)

Tom Grauman, executive director at the Columbian Centre Society, praised the city for identifying the site for affordable housing

A new affordable, long-term housing project in Nanaimo cleared a major milestone Monday as city council approved a 60-year lease for a city-owned parcel on Boundary Crescent.

Acting on a city staff recommendation, council voted to authorize the lease and provide public notices of disposition, fulfilling part of a memorandum of understanding between the city and BC Housing to create five supportive housing sites within the municipality.

The long-term lease will see Columbian Centre Society, Haven Society and Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society build a new, 41-unit supportive housing project at 1597 Boundary Cres. The groups will also enter an operating agreement with BC Housing to run the facility. The city is providing the site at a nominal rate as part of its contribution to the project, representing a rental revenue loss of $18,400 per year.   Read the rest of this article at the Nanaimo Daily News.

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Nanaimo social housing project going forward

March 21st, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Nanaimo social housing project going forward)

An information session on the Boundary Crescent social housing project attracted a hundred interested Nanaimoites last week

housing nanaimoConstruction is expected to begin this summer on a four-storey, 41-unit supportive housing project at 1597 Boundary Cres., to be developed and operated by three local non-profit organizations: Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society, Columbian Centre Society and Haven Society.

Nanaimo Affordable Housing will build, own and maintain the building, Columbian Centre will provide 24-hour housing support workers and Haven will provide an additional layer of services on the floor of the building dedicated to women fleeing violent situations.   Read the rest of this article at Nanaimo News Bulletin.

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At Home/Chez Soi project nears its end

March 21st, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on At Home/Chez Soi project nears its end)

Housing first makes better use of public dollars—especially for those who are high service users

picture 465In 2008 the federal government invested $110 million for a five year demonstration project aimed at providing evidence about what services and systems best help people experiencing serious mental illness and homelessness. The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s At Home/Chez Soi project was established as a field trial of complex interventions in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and Moncton. The rigorous, multi-site, experimental research design of the At Home/Chez Soi project was expected to help identify what works, at what cost, for whom, and in which environments. It compared “Housing First” approaches with existing approaches in each of the five cities. For the first time in a trial, it included a standardized definition of Housing First and used assessments to document the quality of the implementation of the program over its first two years. (more…)

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From the streets to a home and a new life

March 21st, 2013 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on From the streets to a home and a new life)

Housing First approaches prove to be effective and can change lives

picture 466A three-year-long intensive multi-city study looking into the effectiveness of Housing First approaches is due to end on March 31, 2013. The federal government funded the research through its Mental Health Commission of Canada initiative. The At Home/Chez Soi project has proven—in interim results [opens to PDF]—to (1) improve the lives of those who are homeless and have a mental illness; (2) make better use of public dollars-especially for those who are high service users; (3) be able to be implemented across Canada; and (4) demonstrate that a cross ministry approach that combines health, housing, social services with non profit and private sector partners is required to solve chronic homelessness. (more…)

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