Blog

Vancouver 2012 Homeless Count Results are in

hayter — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:44:48 +0000

The Vancouver 2012 Homeless Count results were presented to City Council this week and overall homelessness is down 62% from 2008 but the number of street homeless in Vancouver has increased to 306 people from 154 last year.

"The Vancouver 2012 Homeless Count confirms that we've made strong progress in the last four years to tackle homelessness and that our low-barrier shelters have been incredibly effective, but much work remains to confront the challenge," said Mayor Gregor Robertson. "This year's count shows that street homelessness is down 62 per cent since 2008 and that overall homelessness is down 6.6 per cent overall since 2010, when we finally turned the corner on a decade of rising homelessness in Vancouver.

"The count demonstrates the need for stronger partnerships with other orders of government. To build on our progress and prevent an alarmingly higher number of Vancouver's homeless citizens from being forced to sleep on the street we need significantly more provincial support for stable low-barrier shelter beds and permanent supportive housing."

To view the full presentation on the Vancouver 2012 Homeless Count click here. For more information read the Mayor's blog and check out these Vancouver Sun and 24 Hours articles.

Mayor Gregor Robertson

Kristy

2011 Homeless Count Results are in

Save the Date - Sister Nancy Brown Speaks on Human Trafficking

hayter — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:17:45 +0000

Covenant House Vancouver’s Sister Nancy Brown Awarded the Order of British Columbia

"Know that you are loved" - Words of hope sent to our youth!

hayter — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:51:38 +0000

a supporter

Kind Words

Cirque du Soleil® partners with Covenant House once again!

hayter — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:23:03 +0000

The magic of Cirque du Soleil returns to Vancouver this December with its show Amaluna™.

We’re pleased to announce that Cirque du Soleil has once again chosen to partner with Covenant House, donating tickets for fundraising purposes.

Covenant House’s benefit night is Friday December 7^th, 2012
Ticket price: $150 – for Category 1 (great) seats!
A portion of the ticket price will be eligible for a tax receipt

For more information or to reserve your tickets please contact:
Mark Savard
Development Officer – Community Giving
savard@covenanthousebc.org
Tel (604) 639-8922

For more information on the show check out the official website:
cirquedusoleil.com/amaluna

It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas presents!

Mark

Cirque du Soleil and Our Donors are a Winning Combination

Just from doing some laundry...

hayter — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:12:13 +0000

The other evening during dinner, I was called to the front desk to attend to one of the youth who had just been admitted. She had loads and loads of clothes with her so I had her help me bring them to the laundry room. She offered to sort through her stuff with me since there was so much. While going through her clothing, we wound up having such an amazing chat in the 15 minutes it took to sort through everything.

She talked about her struggles with her addiction to crack, her journey of exiting the sex trade and about her family conflict with her partner’s grandmother. She also shared the struggles she was having with her very sick mother who is in hospital with a terminal illness, a topic that was very difficult for her to share. Although she appeared on the outside to have a tough exterior and hard shell, over time and with patience she will begin to build relationships with the Youth Workers at Covenant House.

It is through those relationships that the process of trusting is formed. It's pretty amazing to think about the strong connection I have built with this young person, just from doing some laundry with her.

Blaine M., Youth Worker

Just a Game of Chess or an Opportunity to Connect?

Introducing Edgar the fundraising cat!

hayter — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:28:59 +0000

Vancouver artist June Hunter who sells her art and jewellery at Granville Island Public Market has been creatively fundraising for us. Usually she sells work with botanical and bird images, but her daughter has this cat ... Edgar. Edgar is exceptionally adorable and June couldn’t stop taking pictures of him.

It occurred to June to start making things with her images of Edgar. It also occurred to her that Edgar is a very lucky cat and they should share 10% of his earnings with a charity and they picked Covenant House Vancouver. So far Edgar has raised almost $60.00 for us and is continuing his fundraising efforts.

Below is a picture of Edgar with a cheque for us – he also has a Facebook page with a growing roster of worldwide admirers, so be sure to visit him there.

Our thanks to June and Edgar for their support!

Kristy

Wacky & Wonderful Walter

Covenant House Vancouver’s Sister Nancy Brown Awarded the Order of British Columbia

hayter — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:36:30 +0000

Sister Nancy Brown, a Sister of Charity of Halifax, was awarded the Order of British Columbia in recognition of her dedication to women, homeless youth and young people at risk for human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Sister Nancy has been the Pastoral Counsellor at Covenant House since 1998 and also serves as Ombudsman (someone to whom our youth can call upon to advocate on their behalf). In addition to counselling young people who are homeless and/or suffering from mental health and addictions, Sister Nancy is available to provide Pastoral care, visiting youth in hospital etc. and assisting them with their desire to have a spiritual life. She is someone our youth and staff can talk to when they need a compassionate and engaged listener.

Sister Nancy’s experience in working with those often overlooked by society is extensive. She has championed the cause of domestic violence through her counselling of and working with abused young women and those who abuse them. She has become a strong voice in the fight against sexual exploitation and human trafficking and her expertise is often called upon by advocacy groups and the media. She has developed public events, workshops and resources to show British Columbians and the world about the harsh reality and danger of youth exploitation and trafficking.

“Covenant House Vancouver and the youth we serve have always felt grateful to have Sister Nancy on our team” said Krista Thompson, Executive Director. She added “that the Province has chosen to honour Sister Nancy with the Order of British Columbia is an acknowledgement of a woman who has worked tirelessly on behalf of exploited women and youth and we couldn’t be more proud!”

Sister Nancy is available to speak about human trafficking and all issues related to homelessness, mental health and addictions.

For more information or to arrange an interview:
Michelle Clausius
604-639-8936

Michelle Clausius

Victims of human trafficking tend to be young

iMining.com is hosting a Wine Tasting event benefiting Covenant House Vancouver!

hayter — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:30:01 +0000

The event will be held from 4 PM to 7 PM on Monday, June 4^th, 2012 at Mahony and Sons located at the new Vancouver Convention Center. Guests will not only be treated to an exquisite evening of wine tasting, but also the chance to win fabulous raffle prizes! For tickets or more information please email info@imining.com.

Stephanie

Colliers Vancouver nominates Covenant House Vancouver as a charity of choice for Everyone Gives!

Wordless Wednesday - A Peek Around Pender

hayter — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:41:03 +0000

Kristy

Blast from a past ROP (Rights of Passage) resident

Top 5 Items We Need Now

hayter — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:42:40 +0000

1. Sandals or flip flops

2. Gym clothes and workout wear

3. Water bottles

4. Shorts

5. Jeans

To learn more about donating clothing items click here. Thanks for your support!

Abbie

Backpacks ready to go for today's youth Christmas party