Intro | Research | NHRC
Homeless
August 1995
By
Focus Consulting
Steve Pomeroy and Michel Frojmovic
This project produced an inventory of programs and projects addressing homelessness that have been completed since the 1987 International Year of Shelter for the Homeless in the following regions: North America, Europe and Australia, with the focus being on Canada and the United States. The inventory is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to include selected examples of initiatives that show some innovation and have, in most cases, not been previously documented or widely disseminated. Initiatives were selected based on the following criteria: 1) alternative financing; 2) illustration of partnerships; 3) innovative management and/or administration; 4) comprehensiveness illustrating a multi-strategy approach; and, 5) self-help.
The primary product for this study is a series of fact sheets describing specific initiatives that have addressed the range of homeless issues. Each fact sheet provides the following descriptive information: 1) the initiative's location; 2) the year established; 3) the initiative's objective; 4) the responsible agency(ies); 5) the target population; 6) the services provided; 7) unique/innovative aspects; 8) source(s) of funding; 9) methods of reducing costs; 10) total budget; and, 11) a contact for further information.
The document is intended as a resource guide for organisations devoted to the problems and challenges of homelessness.
Sample Project fact sheetCATEGORY: STREET OUTREACH A.1
Name of Initiative
Victoria Street Community Association (VSCA) Street Centre
Location
Downtown Victoria, British Columbia.
Year established
1992
Objective
To address problems of street homeless through community economic development.
Size
Approximately 100 persons use the Street Centre on a daily basis.
Responsible agency(ies)
The VSCA, a non-profit community association. Assistance was initially provided by the City of Victoria Social Planning Division.
Target population
The VSCA is a downtown storefront community centre serving the street population.
Services provided
VSCA provided a wide range of services, including drop-in for a cup of coffee, companionship, referral and advocacy programs, community economic development for homeless/street people, peer outreach, needle exchange, use of phone, computer and photocopy machines and various workshops including life skills and enterprise skills. A volunteer program (Street Works) provides individuals with opportunities to undertake work in the centre which qualifies them for a special supplement of $50 $100/month from the Ministry of Social Services. This can include janitorial labour, helping on phones, helping in production of a monthly street newsletter (The Red Zone) which has a distribution of approximately 1,000 copies. A peer outreach program staffed by a recovered former addict provides counselling and helps individuals experiencing addiction problems and assists in directing them into treatment programs. A community health nurse also visits the centre on a regular basis to provide health counselling. The centre is staffed by full-time employees, including a co-ordinator. Most of the counsellors are former homeless/addicts providing peer counselling. Space is provided in the centre for various groups to use. A workshop provides tools and materials to build items for sale, a successful drum-building enterprise has developed from this space.
Unique/innovative aspects
Developed and operated largely by the street community. Extensive use of peer counselling.
Source of funds
Original start-up funding ($20,000) was provided by the Healthy Community Initiatives Fund (B.C. Ministry of Health) to support the community development process that culminated in the establishment of the association. No capital funding is required since the premises are leased. Sub-programs are each funded separately (e.g. Street Works, outreach program, Street Meet Conference, Canada Drugs, B.C. Aids). These programs are generally funded by a provincial ministry, Health, Social Services or Skills Training and Labour, or in some cases through the federal Department of Health. (Social assistance programs are also cost-shared with the federal government, although funds flow from the provincial ministry.) This discontinuous program-based funding (rather than ongoing core funding) creates ongoing uncertainty for the organization. Most staff are on six-month contracts. Staff serve as quasi-bureaucrats, constantly completing program applications for new funding. Recently, the funding for various skills programs has shifted from Social Services to Skills Training and Labour. The evaluative mechanism for renewal is now based on clients' success in securing work, often a problem for street homeless with multiple problems, and may cause difficulty in maintaining funding.
Methods for reducing costs
Much of the work in the centre is undertaken by volunteers although individuals on social assistance can earn a supplement of $50-$100/month (the maximum without reducing social assistance benefits).
Total budget
Approximately $275,000 in 1994-95 (representing the total from a range of funding programs).
Contact organization
Victoria Street Community AssociationSimilar initiatives
A subsequent initiative documented separately (Medewiwin, see fact sheet D.1) involved the development of a permanent housing project for "hard-to-house" former street people.
| Last updated June 16, 1998
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