Homelessness is not only a Vancouver Downtown Eastside issue – we see it in communities of all sizes across the province. Oct. 11-17 is Homelessness Action Week, a week for all of us to acknowledge British Columbians in need and those people who dedicate their lives to help them.

The Province is reducing homelessness and is providing low-income British Columbians with housing, addictions and support services. This year, the budget for social housing is approximately $450 million, more than three times as much as in 2001. Our provincial housing strategy, Housing Matters BC, focuses on providing a wide-range of services to reduce homelessness and increase services to help them become more independent and healthy.

This year, the Province is funding 1,500 year-round shelter beds, with nearly 90 per cent of them open 24/7. People can now stay inside during the day and access services for permanent housing, income supports and health issues. And communities can access funds to operate extreme weather shelter beds during cold weather. Last year, 26 communities opened approximately 1,400 extreme weather beds.

Homeless outreach workers in 49 communities are working with the homeless, building trust, and connecting them with support services in their communities. Outreach workers assisted a 52-year-old homeless woman move from the streets of Vancouver to the Hazelwood Hotel, a supportive single room occupancy hotel. Staff are now helping her apply for disability assistance.

In March 2009, Premier Gordon Campbell asked me to lead the Homelessness Intervention Project in five communities, a new approach to helping homeless people get off the street and obtain the services they need to rebuild their lives. So far, 1,400 people have been housed in Kelowna, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria.

We realize that British Columbians need a variety of housing options; one type of housing doesn’t fit everyone. We offer a selection to provide the safety of a shelter or a stable affordable housing unit.

We’ve reached new partnership agreements with municipalities to fast-track the approval and construction of new supportive housing units. So far, more than 1,900 new units will be developed in eight cities. $261 million has been committed so construction can begin in the coming months on 1,066 of these units at 17 housing developments.

The Province purchased 23 Single Room Occupancy hotels and has entered long term leases on two others in order preserve this important stock of housing in Vancouver, New Westminster and Victoria.

Existing, affordable apartment buildings, townhouses and other housing opportunities have also been purchased across B.C. totalling approximately 560 units. In total, we’ve acquired 45 buildings, protecting and upgrading approximately 2,000 units of affordable housing.

You can find more about the ongoing efforts to address homelessness in British Columbia at:

www.bchousing.org/breakingthecycle

By RICH COLEMAN, Minister of Housing and Social Development