Help needed with this year's Homeless Count

Ever wonder how many people are homeless in Richmond?  And whether the situation is improving or getting worse?  Or why some homeless people never seek refuge in shelters?  The Metro Vancouver regional Homeless Count attempts to answer these types of questions and more.  The counts are held every three years and there's one schedule for this year, specifically Wed, 16 March.   These are large undertakings and rely largely on volunteers to do the counting.

I attended a kickoff meeting for the Richmond count at Broadmoor Baptist last week.  Ten people were in attendance, seven of whom are either volunteers or staff at the St Alban shelter (and 3 of the 7 are also members of Richmond's Poverty Response Committee).

On count day, volunteers will head out in pairs to locations where persons who are homeless typically spend time: bottle depots, McDonald's, libraries, food bank, community meal etc, and gather basic demographic information.    Volunteers will be trained on how to approach people, how to fill in the survey, etc.  The count will be done largely during daylight hours.   

Results of previous counts are available here: Metro Vancouver Homelessness.  Interesting reading.  In Richmond, the number of homeless persons counted were:

2002: 29

2005: 33

2008: 56

And in 2008, Richmond was singled out as the municipality with the "highest incidence of senior homelessness (55 and older)" on a percentage basis.

Last time,  60 volunteers covered Richmond and we're hoping for at least that number this year.  If you'd like to volunteer, contact Richmond's Poverty Response Committee, by clicking here: info@richmondprc.org

News about a few of our regular guests

It's been a while since we've seen some of our regular guests, but we still manage to make contact with most of them.  Here's the news.  I'm using fictitious names:

"Carl", the man who took possession of a bachelor suite in Burnaby is still doing very well, presumably still enjoying his baths.

"Bud", who went into detox a week ago Saturday left the day he was scheduled to go into a recovery home. He was AWOL for the next few days and is apparently in a hospital now, although no one's been able to make contact with him to see how he's doing.  Confidentiality rules at places like detoxes and hospitals prevent access to information to most people, including ourselves.

Welcome supplies for Wally and Neil's new home

The two fellows who found an apartment together in Burnaby ("Neil" and "Wally") were doing well as of Saturday.   Wally landed the job he'd applied for and had worked two days.  I arranged to meet him in Richmond last Saturday and we went together to pick up a carload of household supplies and furniture from a friend of Margaret's.   He was overjoyed.  I dropped the stuff off at his place, where now 3 of our guests are staying.  Wally had a few options for what next: staying put, moving in with another person, taking a job in another city.  He was going to contact me once he'd sorted that out.


"Dorothy", the young woman with a dog hasn't been around much because her dog was hit by a car and hasn't been well enough to travel to the shelter on her bike.   We drove her and her dog to the shelter a couple nights and the last time the dog was looking pretty much normal.

Upgraded bike

The two fellows who each received a bag of empties are both doing well.  "Otto", the younger of the two, has been working and has more permanent accommodation at one of the shelters run by the Lookout Society.  And "Dave", the veteran, continues to have his ups and downs.    I met him at McDonald's when I went in to pick up Wally to take him to pick up his furniture.   Dave had just bought Wally a burger (they'd feuded at the shelter a couple times so this was great to see).  Dave was sporting a fresh hair cut, was clean shaven,  had a new ball cap and he took me outside to show off his bike: it now has 3 new rear red flashing lights, 2 new front headlights, a mirror and a new padded seat.  He had been hit by a car a month or so ago near the shelter and ICBC had arranged to cover the costs of fixing his bike, outfitting it with more safety gear and also gave him a cash settlement.  The cash allowed him to take a few days off from collecting empties and buy himself a few niceties.  He was still planning to enter a recovery house the end of January and his worker is trying to find him a home in Richmond for after the recovery program.  She's also arranging CPP for him -- he'll be eligible next month.

The Beloved Community

Here's a letter to the editor published in the January 15th edition of the Richmond Review, written by Rev Margaret Cornish, pastor of St Alban, key member of the shelter committee (Spiritual Advisor) and huge advocate for the poor.  We are all fortunate to be part of her beloved community.

King’s message remains urgent here

Editor:
Jan. 15 is Rev. Martin Luther King’s birthday. He was, of course, a powerful advocate for people living in poverty.

King’s voice was everything. It brought a nation to attention and a people to some understanding. His voice spoke powerful truth. He spoke straight from the truth of his own heart to the goodness in our hearts—which he believed in. He never excluded anyone.

The world tries hard to remember him, but our voices are not his voice. We are not as convincing.

King’s message, 43 years after his death, continues to be urgent and of deep relevance.

In Richmond, the number of women, children and men living in poverty grows yearly. Increasing numbers of people use the food bank and church community meal programs. The Inn from the Cold extreme weather shelter at St. Alban opened in 2008 and has also seen the number of guests increase. We’ve had 155 bed-nights this winter so far and 29 different individuals (25 men, four women, all over 19).

The response of the people of Richmond to the needs of those experiencing homelessness on their streets is generous and amazing. Seventy active volunteers and a host of others at Inn from the Cold give of their time and resources to provide a warm and safe place.

On behalf of Larry McIntyre (shelter manager) and co-chairs Sister Cecilia Hudec and Victor Farmer, I thank the community of Richmond for the outpouring of compassion and care demonstrated—including practical gifts and support.

I also want to thank the volunteers and guests of Inn from the Cold shelter for the privilege of being part of their lives. I have learned from them all and been deeply moved by our experience together.

As a person of faith I have felt the love and grace of God in conversation, prayer, and laughter on many occasions. I’ve been deeply moved by the dignity and humility of our guests and the depth of care and humanity among all our guests, staff and volunteers.

It is through this that I have experienced “the beloved community” of which King dreamed.

Reverend Margaret Cornish

St. Alban Church

Wish list from two guys starting new lives

I mentioned in an earlier post that two of our regulars found an apartment together.   They dropped in for dinner one evening this week and left behind a wishlist of items for their new place.   If you have any of these items laying around collecting dust, please email me.

love seat
tv stand
desk lamp
tall halogen living room lamp
smoke detectors
2 single foamies/futons 4 inches
radio/alarm clock/ghetto blaster

dresser
laundry soap
running shoes (size 7 1/2)
area rug

Update on a few guests who have gone to better places

While preparing breakfast today, I mentioned to Kathe,  one of our longstanding volunteers, that a few of our regular guests have gone to better places.   I realized by the shocked look on her face that I'd implied they'd died, so I clarified that four men have moved into more permanent accommodations and haven't been staying at the shelter recently.   One has resided at a bachelor suite in Burnaby for a week or so; another entered detox Saturday, is doing well and has a place in a recovery home reserved for him.   A third man was accepted in a rental unit, based partly on references from shelter staff.  He  moved in a few days ago and he and a fourth regular guest are sharing the apartment.   The fourth had a job interview today and he was decked out in shirt and tie for the occasion.  

I always have hope for our guests, no matter how stuck they may appear or how hopeless they may feel.   And when one person makes a significant change in their life, it not only validates that hope but more importantly it sends a strong message to others in similar situations that change is possible, and that brings them hope.  So, I don't think it was a coincidence that 4 people, all of whom knew each other, made big steps forward in the space of a couple weeks.

These folks moving on with their lives reminds me somewhat of sending one of your kids off to their first day of school.  As parents, we are full of hope and a little trepidation.   The key difference here is not just these men aren't our school-aged children; the key difference is that these men are the ones who have made their own decision that it's time to head off in a new direction.  Like youngsters heading off to school, or life in general, their journeys will involve bumps in the road: a few steps forward, a few back.

I look forward to seeing each of these guys again, and meeting them wherever they are on their journey.    We wish them well.  They deserve the best life has to offer.