4 Ways to Advocate for People Experiencing Homelessness in Vancouver
It is estimated that 235,000 people in Canada experience homeless in any given year – when we zoom in on Vancouver, a total of 3,634 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in the Metro Vancouver region during the 2020 Point-in-Time count.
As a Vancouver based security company, providing services for a myriad of clients across the Lower Mainland and beyond, we care deeply about our community and the people within it. At IntercomLux Security, we put a huge emphasis on our social impact, starting with the professionals we employ, by providing them with a plethora of training and certification requirements, including Naloxone training, Indigenous awareness safety training, and more to come in the future as we continuously develop and evolve our training program.
In the security industry, we get to work with people from all different backgrounds, races, religions and ethnicities and we must be mindful when working with people experiencing homelessness as it’s not a surface-level issue, which is why we also provide our professionals with in-depth mental health training. With a goal to continue to do better for our people, clients, and community, we wanted to share some ways that you can be an advocate for people experiencing homelessness in your community.
1. Educate Yourself
In order to understand homelessness and the complexities of the topic, it’s imperative to educate yourself on the basics. Educating yourself, your family, and your friends about homelessness can help change your perspective and combat stigmas that further disenfranchise people experiencing homelessness with knowledge.
We encourage you to endeavour to check out educational resources like the Homeless Learning Hub, Government of BC’s Homelessness Resources, or Working With People Experiencing Homelessness.
2. Understand the Issues
To continue combatting the stigma of homelessness, it’s not only imperative to educate ourselves but understand the issues in which homelessness stems from. A person may be experiencing homelessness for a number of reasons, including lack of affordable housing, an economic downturn resulting in job loss or inability to find a job, or lack of supportive health services available.
As per the Anawim House, “homelessness is a societal issue; however, individual and relational factors can impact a person’s likelihood of becoming homeless. These factors may include; traumatic events, personal crisis, mental health and addictions challenges, family violence and abuse, addictions and mental health problems of family members, and extreme poverty. Family violence is estimated to affect 2 million Canadians, and can force individuals and families to leave home suddenly, without proper supports in place.”
3. Connect With Local Advocates & Organizations
There are a multitude of organizations within Vancouver and the Lower Mainland that focus their efforts on providing education on homelessness, increasing awareness of the issues and providing support people experiencing homelessness. Connecting with local advocates and organizations will allow you to not only meet like-minded individuals looking to help out within the community, but allow you to further educate yourself on the issues in which homelessness stems from and explore more ways you can help people experiencing homelessness.
If you would like to support/explore an organization local to Vancouver, you can check out: Homelessness Services Association of BC, BC Housing, Covenant House Vancouver and the Lookout Housing & Health Society for more information and details on how you can help.
4. Volunteer
Whether you want to volunteer your money, contribute clothing and other items, or make a donation, there are so many organizations and ways you can support people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
We’ve compiled a list five ways that you can support people experiencing homelessness via a donation or volunteering. Please note, this list is not exhaustive by any means but is a great place to start if you would like to help.
Donate money to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society or the Surrey Food Bank Society – the Greater Vancouver Food Bank says it can turn $1 in donations into $3 of donations.
Volunteer at a homeless shelter – see a fulsome list of homeless shelters that you can volunteer at here on the Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy website.
Volunteer with the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, an organization dedicated to servicng the urban Indigenous community.
Donate clothing to First United Church. First United Church is a low-barrier shelter in the Downtown Eastside, which offers meals, foot care, storage, dental, and many other services.
Volunteer at Covenant House Vancouver; this charity has a crisis shelter, transition house, and other programs.
About IntercomLux Security
Owned and operated in Vancouver, BC, IntercomLux is a full-service security company providing a wide range of unique clients with tailored security solutions. To receive a risk consultation and a complementary quotation, reach out to our team of experts today: inquiries@intercomlux.com | 604-283-8599