Covenant House Vancouver

Clara Hughes is teaming up again with Bell's Let’s Talk Campaign to raise money for and awareness of mental illness in Canada.

I had the pleasure of hearing Clara speak at an announcement Bell was making in relation to their gift of $250,000 to the Streetohome Foundation as part of Covenant House Vancouver’s Semi-Independent Housing Program. She has battled serious depression in her life and is determined to help shed the stigma still associated with this mental illness.  I applaud her courage to speak out and to lend her name and energy to such an important cause.

In 2010, Bell announced the launch of an unprecedented multi-year charitable program dedicated to the promotion and support of mental health across Canada. Over the next several years, this multi-million dollar initiative will support a wide range of programs that will enhance awareness, understanding and treatment of mental illness and promote access to care and research across the country.

So if you are on the Bell network, please talk and text a lot on February 8^th as Bell will donate 5 cents towards mental health programs for every call or text made that day.

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We were excited to watch the 3 part video series “Forever Family” by reporter Catherine Pope and Global BC News. The series is about teens and young adults who are in the BC foster care system and hope to still be adopted and find their forever family. Catherine Pope speaks to real youth that are in the system waiting to be adopted, as well as older youth who were adopted into families.

One of the reasons we were so excited to see this series featured on the news is that many of the young people who come to CHV have been in the foster care system. They often come to us at 18 or 19 when they “age out” of foster care but still have not learned the skills it takes to become independent adults. Often they are still struggling with issues from their childhood and teen years. It is encouraging to see the topic of teen adoption highlighted, as we know so many youth who wished they had forever families.

To learn more about the Ministry of Children and Family Development and adopting in BC click here. You may also wish to visit the Federation of BC Youth In Care Networks here.

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Now that the holiday season has drawn to a close and the New Year is in full swing, I’d like to give thanks our loving donor family for truly going above and beyond this past December.

The 8^th annual 30 Days for 30 Nights campaign, which aimed to fully fund the Crisis Shelter program during the busy month of December, was an absolute success!  Thanks to all of our donors who made a gift to the campaign, TD for the hugely successful Night of New Beginnings Gala and to our incredibly generous private donor who matched every gift, the goal of $333,250 was achieved!

On behalf over every single young person who comes to Covenant House Vancouver in search of a brighter, more independent future, I send many heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you.  It is thanks to caring family members like you, that we are able to provide the gift of hope to so many young people each year.

The success of this campaign is due largely in part to our very dedicated team of volunteer fundraisers.  We seriously could not do it without you! Many sincere thanks to Andrew Rae, Kingsley Noel and the entire Covenant House Vancouver Board of Directors for their involvement with this year’s efforts.

For more information on how you can get involved in the 30 Days for 30 Nights campaign, by making a gift or joining our team of volunteer fundraisers, please contact Marty Staniforth at (604) 639-8916 or Tristan Klassen at (604) 639-8919.

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"Jagrup Brar, MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood accepted the Challenge to live on $610 for the month of January. He is spending half the month in Surrey and half in Vancouver. While his experiences are not the same as people on living on welfare as he was in good mental and physical health when he started and he knows it will end after a month, none the less he will live on $610 and discover how little money that is. He is also meeting many other people on welfare and in poverty and learning of their experiences." From http://mlaonwelfare.com/

To learn more about Jagrup Brar's experiences click here and here.

What do you think about BC's Welfare rates? Could you survive on $610.00 for a month or more? 


Photograph by: Ward Perrin, PNG 
The Province Newspaper, January 30 2012

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Yesterday we did an intake for the Shelter with a 19 year old first timer.  He’s not your typical street kid but has nowhere to go after his girlfriend’s mother kicked him out for “not pulling his weight.” 

He was a little emotional because he had to leave behind his 2 month old son.  He spoke of his high hopes and wanting to get a job and back on his feet.  He said that he was glad to have found Covenant House, but was nervous about being in a shelter for the first time.  During the intake, he asked many questions about the other youth:  Would he have to share a bedroom?  What would they think of him?  Where are they all from? Etc, etc...  He finally finished the intake and we brought him into the house.  Almost immediately he was inundated with questions from other youth:  What’s your name?  Is this your first time?  Are you from Vancouver?  You could tell he was immediately accepted as they then started lightly razzing him. 

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We Do! And we would love for you to follow us on Twitter.

So if you read our blog (your doing it right now) or follow us on Facebook but haven’t joined us on Twitter yet we hope you will. At twitter we provide you with an easy way to get small bites about what is happening at CHV and with Homeless youth. We also link to other great non profits and folks that are doing good work in Vancouver and around the world.

Today is #followfriday a hashtag that encourages Twitter users to find and follow new users on Fridays. We are always happy to have new followers and we would love to follow you as well.

So please join us on Twitter!

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend.

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As many of you may have heard Vancouver is now the second most expensive city for the housing market among mainly English-speaking cities. As a renter, I know what a challenge it is to find safe, clean and affordable housing. My partner and I both work full-time and make an okay living, but it is still a struggle for us to find affordable accommodations that aren’t disgusting. Knowing my own struggles, I know how much harder it is for our youth to find a place to live.

Often they are making minimum wage or may be on welfare as they get their lives back on track, so finding a place to live is a struggle. We are lucky to have two housing workers who help our youth to find affordable accommodations; they help them move and teach them the life skills around working with landlords and learning how to apply for a place. We also are lucky to have ROP (Rights of Passage) where youth can live for up to two years at a very reasonable rate while getting the support they need and learning important life skills.

Below is a video that the City of Vancouver has put out regarding renting in Vancouver. What do you think about the cost of living in Vancouver? Do you have any ideas to make it more fair and affordable for everyone?

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The time is 1:00 pm on a Sunday afternoon and I am being radioed by the front desk worker for lunch coverage.  I quite enjoy this hour of “peace” because being an introvert, this time allows me to recharge my youth working batteries and charge into the afternoon.  Several minutes pass and I sink back into the glorious comfort of the front desk throne contemplating a quiet hour answering calls, feeding walk-in youth and conversing with them.  But then… BAM! The entire population of Vancouver has decided to drop off tons of clothing and house ware between the hours of 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm. Wowzers!

I summon super hero-esque powers to multitask beyond my wildest dreams, answering phones, writing receipts, thanking donors, letting shelter youth in and out, pressing buttons, and sweating bullets.  The hour is up; I’m 5 lbs lighter and finally have time to reflect.  I am overwhelmed at the sense of community.  So many people had taken time from their weekends to donate and give pieces of themselves to help those that are less fortunate.  It also really hammered home the fact that the front desk staff does an amazing job as the “face” of Covenant House.  Their job is hard.  Those guys are superhuman.  I need a quick lay down.

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Friday mornings are a special time at the CSS because we hold a Women’s Only Drop-In. Young ladies can come and get the support they need in a caring and safe women-only environment.

Last Friday I was walking through the Drop-In and saw some ladies getting an extra special treat – manicures and pedicures! Everyone deserves a bit of pampering and it does wonders for your soul as many of you have probably experienced. Our young women face lots of issues from addiction, abuse and lack of housing and being treated to a special spa day is a great way to boost their self-esteem and make them feel good.

Our thanks to the UBC Nursing Students for making this special treat happen.

Below are a few pictures of the mani’s and pedi’s:

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