Homeless Outreach Program expands to Mission

A weekend barbecue for the hungry drew so many people, organizers feared they would run out of food.

Tara Scheirer, the now well-known homelessness advocate, and organizer of several events benefitting those less fortunate, said Saturday’s barbecue at Mission Community Services saw about 125 dinners served to the homeless, and those with roofs over their heads, but little money left for food in their bellies.

“We had to limit [food] to make sure everyone got some,” said Scheirer.

She added that Saturday’s event drove home the fact that too many people in Mission have to make the choice between paying the rent, or eating.

“More and more people don’t have the income required,” she stated.

An announcement last Friday is providing some hope in Mission for those who try to help the homeless.

The Homeless Outreach Program will be expanding to Mission, with expressions of interest call being issued to local non-profit societies to submit proposals to operate homeless outreach services, said Mission’s MLA Randy Hawes.

“The homeless outreach work has proven to be successful in more than 40 communities across the province, with more than 2,500 people connected to housing and other services since 2007,” said Hawes. “We need to break the cycle of homelessness in Mission, and establishing outreach services here will help to do that.”

“I think it’s really exciting that Mission is on the table,” said Scheirer.

Mission Community Services’ Executive Director Joy Cox confirmed Tuesday the local organization is putting together an expression of interest, and presented it to the MCSS board last night (Wednesday).

Cox was confident the idea would be positively received.

“It’s quite exciting because it’s about time,” Cox said about the program announcement. “We’re growing and it would be great to have a designated person or persons to do this work.”

Each successful community group from the proposal call will receive annual funding of $65,000. In addition, annual funding of $7,200 will be available for each group to use as rent supplements ($120 per unit per month) to help secure appropriate housing in the private market if other subsidized housing options are not available for the people they are assisting. The goal is to have the outreach services start in the new communities in September. Details of the proposal call can be found at www.bchousing.org/programs/proposals.

The Homeless Outreach Program has an annual budget of $4.2 million. Other elements of the program include:

• An Aboriginal Homeless Outreach Program providing outreach to Aboriginal people in eight communities, with $500,000 in annual funding.

• The Emergency Shelter Program provides approximately 1,500 shelter beds in 31 communities, with annual funding of more than $45 million. That’s an increase from 850 beds and $10 million in annual funding in 2001.

• The provincial Homelessness Initiative has committed to the creation of more than 4,000 supportive housing units in more than 20 communities since it was established in 2004.