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Homeless shelter gets a rethink

January 20th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Homeless shelter gets a rethink)

Nanaimo’s Unitarian Fellowship considers opening its extreme weather shelter every night to end of winter

The extreme weather shelter for homeless people in Nanaimo may be open every night for the rest of the winter, after city council approved a grant to pay for operating costs. The shelter had been opening intermittently, depending upon weather conditions such as the temperature or the amount of rainfall predicted for the city—while advocates had been lobbying for an every-night opening. The Unitarian Fellowship, which operates the shelter on Townsite Road, will consult its neighbours and assess whether an every night of the week opening will be possible. (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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Fear and othering

November 4th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Fear and othering)

Is a ‘tea party’ brewing against Nanaimo’s progressive homelessness solution?

A group of residents living in the Townsite Road area of Nanaimo are reportedly still fuming about plans to build units of housing to house homeless people in their neighbourhood. The hospital-area facility is one of five that will be built in Nanaimo [opens to PDF] after funding was received from the provincial government.

The Hospital Area Neighbourhood Association (HANA) hosted an information meeting October 21st and then appeared at a city council meeting on Monday October 25th to present a petition against the low-barrier facility planned for the area. (more…)

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Unpacking the housing numbers

September 16th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Unpacking the housing numbers)

Study looks at data to see where the B.C. government has increased social housing

A new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has found that over the past five years British Columbia has seen an increase of about 1,500 units of new supportive housing for the homeless and housing for frail seniors. But the province has also seen a loss of 2,820 independent social housing units.

Taken together, the government’s own data indicate an overall net increase of only 280 actual social housing units over the past five years, a finding the group calls “sobering and concerning.” In response, the B.C. Liberal government’s housing minister said, “Our housing strategy is working.” He provided a range of statistics to show what has occurred. (more…)

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Who has the right to be on the sidewalk?

June 3rd, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Who has the right to be on the sidewalk?)

Vancouver’s ‘downtown ambassadors’ are the target of a human rights complaint due to ‘hundreds of illegal removals’

On Monday, May 31, 2010, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal began hearing a human rights complaint made by Pivot Legal Society and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) against the Downtown Ambassadors program, operated by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association and funded by the City of Vancouver.

The complaint, lodged by Pivot and VANDU in 2008, alleges that the Downtown Ambassador program repeatedly engaged in harassment and “removals” of individuals who are located on public space and who are, or appear to be, street homeless or drug users. The hearing is scheduled for three weeks. (more…)

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National housing strategy demanded

June 3rd, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on National housing strategy demanded)

Homeless and underhoused Ontarians launch a legal challenge against the federal and provincial governments

On Wednesday May 26, 2010 Tracy Heffernan, a staff lawyer for the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, launched a legal challenge on behalf of a group of five applicants, charging that homelessness and inadequate housing harms people, and that the failure of governments to provide adequate housing violates Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees everyone the right to life, liberty and security. (more…)

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