Higher rent and a low vacancy rate are making it very difficult to house the vulnerable in Trail.
For a fifth straight year Coins for Change is raising awareness and funds to address the local homelessness issue, which is quickly catching up to the affordable housing crisis experienced across much of B.C.
“More than ever, there are so many housing issues province-wide,” said event organizer Sheila Adcock, from Career Development Services (CDS).
“We’re now starting to experience them in Trail with the higher rents,” she explained. “And typically, we’ve always had availability. That is decreasing while the rents are doubling, making it really, really hard for our specialized population with limited income.”
Volunteers, front line workers and others committed to addressing homelessness in Greater Trail, will be sleeping under the Victoria Street Bridge for part of the night on Friday, or for the entire event which runs from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The community is encouraged to drop by, pledge to the cause, and chat with all those participating.
Trail Coun. Eleanor Gattafoni Robinson has been taking part in Coins for Change since its inception back in 2014. This is the first year she won’t be out in the elements until Saturday morning. But the longtime advocate is actively taking pledges this week and she is committed to being at the bridge Friday night.
“Personally, I think it’s important to put to the forefront what homelessness is all about,” said Gattafoni Robinson. “As much as we hate to say it, we do have homelessness here and we should recognize that fact. And we need to support them as much as we can, try to find them a safe place to live, and be supportive in anyway we can to help.”
Whether it’s sleeping under the bridge as part of Coins for Change, joining a group working toward poverty reduction, or writing government officials like MLA Katrine Conroy, Adcock says there are many ways to get on board.
“It’s just sharing the word,” she said. “This is a community issue, it’s not a CDS thing or a poverty reduction thing, it’s a community matter and we just need to all get involved.”
Pledge kits are available at CDS’ office at 1565 Bay Avenue in downtown Trail. For more information call CDS at 250.364.1104 or 250.368.3503.
Since its 2012 launch, Getting to Home (GTH) has become an integral resource for those living in poverty who consistently have issues finding and maintaining safe affordable housing.
On average there are 100 people per year who meet with the housing facilitator. In order to meet the requirements for the program, the individual(s) must be homeless, episodically homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless with an eviction notice in hand.
The demographics include individuals, single mothers with infants, families and youth.
The GTH program looks not only at the individual seeking housing, but more importantly, the systemic issues surrounding their unique circumstances, CDS’ Gail Pighin told the Trail Times.
“The GTH Housing Facilitator meets with each individual to create a Housing Needs Plan,” she explained. ”Which includes connecting the individual to community resources and health services. By making sure the proper supports are in place, the Housing Facilitator is ensuring housing maintenance. “
Essentially the program assists the most vulnerable people living within the community, the most impoverished and in need of help.
“The GTH program not only assists people with finding housing and ensuring it can be maintained but the Housing Facilitator acts as an advocate helping them navigate community resources and support systems they desperately need to access,” Pighin said. “In addition to helping individuals, the Housing Facilitator also acts as a liaison between landlords and tenants trying to minimize any problems while maximizing successful housing for everyone.”
Coins for Change addresses one of the biggest obstacles within the community, which is finding safe and affordable housing that is suitable for habitat.
“The GTH program has identified a need within the community for a supportive type of housing facility which requires on-site supports for those individuals most struggling to maintain housing due to significant and concurrent health issues,” she added.
”CDS recently opened a four-unit house with built in supports which was an instant success, but it definitely highlighted the need for other similar housing to be implemented within the community.”