COVID – 19 and Evictions

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In December 2019, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in China. Since then, the coronavirus has struck the entire world by surprise. The importance of physical touch and contact was bought into emphasis as the entire world went into lockdowns and people were made to isolate and quarantine within the walls of their homes. Since the novel coronavirus spreads at an exceedingly fast rate, it poses a huge threat to public health with its high mortality rate.

Black and white image of a house’s front door and window

Temporary Protection from Eviction

COVID-19 has affected almost all areas of our daily lives, be it financial, personal, educational or professional. Adjusting to the new normal has indeed been a challenge for people all around the globe. However, health care providers and people in authority are working round-the-clock to ensure the wellbeing of as many people as they can.

As a response to this global threat, state and local governments have taken drastic measures to ensure public health and safety. When it comes to housing, eviction laws in several countries, including the US, have been temporarily altered to not only prevent the spread of this disease but also facilitate people who are struggling with financial issues.

Providing stable housing is an effective measure because it allows people to abide by the stay-at-home and social distancing measures recommended by state and local authorities. It also reduces the number of homeless people residing in congregate settings or shelters. Improved living conditions are bound to reduce the spread of this virus.

The Final Word

The laws amended in the light of COVID 19 provide increased protection to tenants and renters. From March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, all landlords and property owners have been advised not to evict any residents if the sole reason for their eviction is their inability to provide housing payment. The state has developed a rental assistance program to reduce financial distress on both landowners and renters. All tenants that qualify for this program will be provided with financial assistance during and beyond this period to help reduce their struggles.

The Disparity in Dental Care Between the Rich and the Poor

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A person receiving dental care
Disparity in dental care

Proper dental care is essential to living a healthy life. However, there’s a greater chance for people from low-income backgrounds to have greater dental health problems than those from affluent families. Here’s a quick analysis of the disparity in dental care between the rich and the poor.

The Gravity of the Situation

A greater percentage of people from deprived backgrounds have been hospitalized because they needed dental care than those who were better off financially. However, many people from low-income backgrounds struggled to receive the care they needed because 35% of low-income parents and 38% of low-income adults without children did not have health insurance in 2013.

What makes this situation worse is that dental care treatment in the hospital is about 10 times more expensive (even with Medicaid enrollees) than preventative dental care at a dentist’s office. Furthermore, Medicaid doesn’t cover preventative costs. Thus, enrollees have to rely on ER care at the hospital when their conditions worsen.

The Effects of Lack of Dental Care for the Poor

Receiving proper dental care is vital because it affects the patient’s and physical health as well. A lack of proper dental care can contribute to various chronic illnesses that may pertain to cardiovascular disease, pregnancy complications, respiratory infection, and so on.

In addition to physical health ramifications, there are mental health concerns, such as a correlation between decaying or missing teeth and depression. This is also the case because missing teeth can result in increased self-consciousness and societal scrutiny.  So, it makes it more challenging for people from low-income backgrounds to thrive within society.

Lack of proper dental care for people from low-income backgrounds also causes them to struggle with its effects on their employment opportunities. Poor dental care causes patients to experience discrimination in the job market. Thus, there’s a cycle in which disparity in dental care between the rich and the poor causes the latter to continue struggling to receive better dental care because they can’t afford insurance.

Class Inequality in Healthcare | Wealthy? You’ll Be Healthy

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Doctor And Patient Looking At Test Results
Health Care Access For Rich People

The conversation about class inequality in healthcare all over the world has been going on for a while. Whether you are looking at rich nations like the US or poorer nations with shoddy healthcare services, there are clear differences in the sort of care the rich get and the care that the poor get. Due to problems with insurance and high prices, healthcare is really expensive for a lot of people. This has resulted in serious class inequality in healthcare, with only the rich being able to afford access to good care.

With one billion children living below the poverty line across the world, they are more likely to suffer from poor nutrition, obesity, and asthma. Adults who are part of the lower socioeconomic category are also more likely to experience mental illnesses, infectious diseases, heart conditions, obesity, and blood pressure issues.

Taking time off from work to go to the doctor, not being able to pay for services, not having access to healthcare consultancy, and more are common problems. Being poor also means that you have more crises and stress to deal with, which can also add to a person’s health woes.

The gap between the rich and the poor has been sharply increasing since the 1970s. The increase in the gap between the rich and the poor definitely has consequences that can impact individuals deeply. One way to address class inequality in healthcare is to enact top-down policies that are designed to address such inequalities specifically. There needs to be more focus on making sure that healthcare is easy to access for everyone in society without putting you under a big debt of thousands of dollars.

My Name is Brad – A Docu-drama Film / Project in Memory of Kelly Thomas and Countless Others Who Fall Victim to the Stigma of Mental Health and Homelessness in America

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Bradley James was born on April 13th, 1972. Kelly Thomas was born on April 5th, 1974. While neither met each other, they both share something in common. They both suffered from schizophrenia. While Brad lives in British Columbia, struggling to make ends meet, Kelly was not that lucky. On July 10th, 2011, while many in America were glued to their television screens, watching in awe as the US team defeated Brazil during the semi-final of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Kelly Thomas lay in a hospital bed, bloody and dying.

Kelly Thomas, a man who had struggled with fits of schizophrenia his entire life, was dragged out into the streets and brutally beaten by six officers of the Fullerton California police department – he later succumbed to his injuries.

Now, 57 Years of Soul Music Radio is collaborating with The Urban Survivor Humanitarian Network and Cheektowaga-Omni Media Marketing based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to tell Kelly’s story to the world. The company is raising funds via Slated, a crowdfunding platform for filmmakers, to launch the production of their film, “My Name Is Brad” in early Spring 2021.

This docudrama film is an initiative to recognize severe mental health issues and make them a mainstream topic of conversation. The film is aimed to show the controversy surrounding mental illnesses and police misconduct. It revolves around the lives of Brad James and Kelly Thomas.

With the current scenarios looking to get worse before they get better, the producers of “My Name Is Brad” believe that now’s the right time to bring this topic to the forefront of humanitarian initiatives that should be prioritized. With the new President in the Oval Office, we are closer to this dream than ever before – to end the injustice, indignation, and stigma associated with mental health and homelessness.

All funds raised through this film will be used to kick start an Urban housing development in all major cities. Modular container housing can be purchased for less than $2000 per unit. Since the government spends millions on everything else, it’s time to end homelessness and help those who are struck with mental illness. For that, your participation and support are desired. 

If you would like more information about this film, or to find out how you can help, please visit the website:

https://mynameisbrad.org/

From Homelessness to Renting: How to Find Rental Housing without References

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  • Homeless
    The solace of silence is sometimes the only vocal support one gets without friends and family references.

There is no point in sugar-coating the fact that transitioning from homelessness to renting can be quite difficult for an individual, especially in cities like Toronto or Vancouver. From a landlord’s perspective, these markets are full of eligible and desirable tenants, so why would they lend their property to someone without any reference and an unstable (or non-existing) rental history.

This is a challenge most homeless people face, even when they have found a stable job and have enough money for a deposit. Finding rental housing without references can be tough but not impossible. There are a few things you can do:

1. Seek out your regional Housing First* program. It’s designed to help homeless people find stable homes. You’d need to contribute a portion of your income (ideally 30% or more) while the rest would be covered by rent subsidies. It also helps you establish a rent history that can open up more rental housing options for you.

2. Provide potential landlord proof of stable income. If you’ve been working for a while, bring your last three payslips and, preferably, a letter from your employer stating your good behavior (and that they don’t have any plans to let you go in the foreseeable future).

3. If you have a stable income and money for monthly rent but not the deposit, charities like Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army might assist you (financially). With a decent deposit amount (say three-months rent), you might be able to convince potential landlords to rent to you, even if you don’t have references.

4. Don’t fake a reference history. It is a huge red flag, and if you get caught, it might disrupt your chances of renting with other landlords as well.

5. Talk to the people who are running emergency shelters. They might be able to guide you to individuals who might be inclined to rent to you without references, just to pull you out of homelessness. If not, they might be able to put you in touch with local housing assistance programs you might not be aware of.

Be honest, talk to the people helping homeless individuals in your community, try to save as much money as you can for rent and deposit, find a co-signer if you can, and make sure your employer puts in a good for you. These might help you find rental housing without references.

*https://www.bchousing.org/projects-partners/funding-opportunities/RHFP

Boggles Brown – The Blurb

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-From “Boggles Brown – My Cartoon Life in the Land Of Schizophrenia” inner sleeve. – BJ 2010

Boggles Brown is broke, except for the “People With Disabilities Allowance” he gets once a month. This month, he lives in a run-down motel – he manages to buy an old beat-up Toyota which is unreliable but reliable if you know what I mean. Somtimes he thinks his car may be bi-polar.

He wonders whether he should be using one of those fancy-named gasoline additives like “Engine-X,” I imagine “Engine-X” to be somewhat like Olanzapine, only for cars.

Boggles Brown struggled through college. He graduated,worked for a while and then became bonkers It was not worth the ecstacy or all the raves in the world to lose his mind – he knows that now. But it is his life, what to do?

Boggles Brown is not how I see myself so much, as how I think others see mee. My mom has read some of my cartoons and scratched her head. I imagine a lot of people will do the same. But that’s not the point – is it? Am I Canada’s Andy Warhol? I think not.

I hope you like Boggles, and if you don’t, I hope you keep it to yourself because the point is that it gave me something to do.

These are all hand-drawn on whatever paper I could find.

– Boggles Brown; BJAF 2010

http://mynameisbrad.org/ “Genes” – Boggles Brown; Urban Survival Media 2009

Exclusive Boggles Brown T-Shirts Online

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Browse and bedazzle when you wear the words of our talkative transient.

Greetings Readers,

Now, like never before, we have been waiting for a marketing breakthrough to gain that glimmer of interactivity on it’s way to your wardrobe. It’s here – Boggles Brown multi-colour T-Shirts where you get to write the dialogue for our lovable but lunatic street-sage.

MyNameIsBrad.ORG is an exclusive portal of perception on a development of Boggles’ words and world.

Drop by and donate to give the My Name Is Brad docudrama the funding it needs and order a Boggles Brown exclusive hand drawn T-Shirt by local artist Brad James.

Stay Safe and Think of M. Brown When You’re Feeling Down.

– The Crew At The Urban Survivor and My Name Is Brad

Cheektowaga-Omni Launch Fundraiser for Debut Socio-Cultural Movie “My Name Is Brad”

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January 11, 2021: Cheektowaga-Omni, a production, media, and marketing company has today announced its foray into film making with the production of a socially conscious movie, “My Name is Brad”. The company hopes to engage the public and has started fundraising, soliciting support from keen donors and people who value movies with a cultural and socially significant theme.

The prevailing atmosphere in the USA makes it ripe for movies like My Name is Brad to be an eye-opener for a public swayed by bigotry and misinformation. Moreover, homelessness is a growing issue that is affecting many people.

“My Name is Brad” narrates the story of a young middle class suburban white man who struggles through University, only to end up deluded, and living on the streets. He watches his promise die, like so many North American youth today.

Cheektowaga-Omni is a production and media marketing company that was established as a tie up between Cheektowaga Music and Omni creative group Cheektowaga Music was formed by prolific musician, music, entertainment producer and, performer “Little” Herbert in 1986. Cheektowaga-Omni is in the process of reactivating a dormant Analogue TV station in Northern Washington State.

The movie My Name is Brad being produced by Cheektowaga-Omni is in memory of Kelly Thomas, who was killed by members of the Fullerton police dept in 2011. Cheektowaga-Omni has launched fundraising efforts to support the movie and plans are afoot to launch a kick-starter and a web page in support of My name is Brad. For more – click here.

Cheektowaga – Omni media is based in Kelowna BC, with studios located in Abbotsford BC and Vancouver BC.

The following video includes articles of harm and mayhem and discretion should be used when viewing the material involving the violence leading to the decession of Kelly Thomas.

For more information: http://mynameisbrad.org/

Media contact

Dale Corrigan

Cheektowaga – Omni Creative Group

Email: dalecorrigan@cheektowaga-onmi.com

Website: www.cheektowaga-omni.com

Homelessness During COVID – Disaster Amplified

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  • Homeless population
    Homeless individual

In any given year, there are about 235,000 Canadians that suffer from homelessness. That’s about 0.625% of the total population, a statistically “small” minority, which is, unfortunately, seeing its woes compounded due to winter and COVID.  

Homeless people rely on shelters to provide them a place to sleep and stay, especially during the cold winter nights when staying outside or in a makeshift shelter can be deadly disastrous. So it’s only logical that the shelters try to accommodate as many people as possible.

But that’s impossible due to COVID cases spreading. To mitigate the probability of transmission, shelters have reduced the number of people they take in. Needless to say, this is a significant blow to the homeless population of the country because during the second wave, more and more people are seeking shelter and less space is available. The lifting of the eviction ban has also added fuel to the fire.

To make matters worse, some shelter homes are being forced to close down or have been working at reduced capacity because the staff and residents have contracted the virus.

People are aware of the problem and are doing what little they can to remediate the situation like staging protests and urging the government to ramp up support. And shelters are using glass dividers in between beds to reduce the probability of transmission in close confines.

We can take lessons from international solutions to this problem, such as accommodating homeless populations in unused hotels (since the travel business is already suffering) or taking measures to contain homeless people to designated areas (by providing necessary amenities and shelter) to mitigate the possibility of transmission.

What Needs to be Done to End Homelessness?

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Noreen date of birth ? death was in 2012, she loved music any-kind of good music. She loved to party and that she did until the end.

An adequate supply of safe, affordable and appropriate housing is a prerequisite to truly ending homelessness in the long term. This includes ensuring that people who are chronically and episodically homeless are prioritized and that systems are in place to enable such persons to receive housing and supports through Housing First programs. In a tight housing market, implementing a Housing First agenda becomes that much more challenging. It is also important to address the supply of affordable housing, in order to broaden access for other priority populations, including women fleeing violence, Aboriginal Peoples, families, seniors and youth, for instance.

Ultimately, addressing Canada’s housing crisis comes down to money, which then begs the question about our national priorities.

Canadian homeowners enjoy over $8.6 billion in annual tax and other benefits. This kind of investment in home ownership is important because it benefits millions of middle-income households.

Spending on affordable housing for Canada’s poorest households however, is less than one quarter of that invested in homeownership, approximately $2.1 billion per year and has declined quite dramatically over the past 25 years.

Ironically, it costs more to ignore our housing problem than it would to fix it. Consider the estimate that homelessness alone costs the Canadian economy over $7 billion per year. While the Government of Canada invests $119 million annually to address homelessness through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (provinces and municipalities also invest), this is not sufficient to address the problem and as a result has not led to a noticeable reduction in homelessness.

By not investing adequately in housing for the poorest Canadians, health care, justice and other taxpayer-funded costs increase.

Put another way, as Canadians, we are spending more money on people who do not need help compared to those in greatest need. And by not spending on those in greatest need, we are not only creating hardship for many Canadian families, we are creating a considerably larger expense for the Canadian economy.

We can do things differently. In the State of Homelessness in Canada 2014, we propose a robust housing investment strategy that would cost the economy much less than the current costs of homelessness. The key elements of our strategy include the following proposals:

 

 

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Penny Procession Produces Precise Profit Projections Pundit Predicts

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The Canadian Penny [RIP]

February 4th, 2013 – a day of infamy as Canada loses it’s copper companion …

Do you ever have days where you wake up, already feeling sick and tired of being sick and tired, and find you are running out of the bargain basement tea or coffee – and to boot you can’t even scrounge together the coin to get another jar, never mind upgrading to a premium blend.

Now, courtesy of our forward-thinking financier elite (who are probably so choked up with currency conundrums that the old “cup o’ joe” doesn’t hit that sacred spot) we no longer have that LCD – the lowest common denominator, the penny.

Part of me (the fractionally crazy part) says – hey great, i don’t know how many times my inner math computer has been defaulting on it’s reasoning functions because of a redundant 1,1,1,1,1, type singularity on the event horizon. What that translates into is that the copper (and especially copper oxidized green) tint to what some would call “the high point of the day – a good cup of tea or coffee” seems to be awash in auburn metallurgical particulates – some may see them as ingredients in a quantum chemical bath that goes into – invisible to all but an alien scientist – our liquid intakes.

What are we going to do with all that copper now that it’s out of the larger socio-economic corpus (sounds like someone was trying to exterminate the little beggars – pun not intended, i’ll say 2 acts of contrition.) Immediately one could say that the melted down copper could go a long way to subsidize Canada’s well-known telecommunications industry…but then you realize everyone’s talking about Wire-Fibre – just as silicate a syndicate as the microchips which cause us to decide on crazy oracular life issues from economics, social-networking, what kind of tattoo to get, among other decisions once left to soothsayers …

All in all it’s nice to surmise that someone out there isn’t going to get the average person to reinforce his averageness through creation of percentile calculations – are we beginning to find that having a nickel as a lowest common denominator may intimate that “Pi” the longest non-repeating repeating number is getting closer to a “zero point” (ya, ya i know we missed the end of McKenna’s *(RIP) TimeWave Zero on December 12th last year – i’ll send a postcard from the edge.

Overall i’m hoping that the ecology of muddy money, perhaps rooted in grudgery and drudgery will begin to shine clear as that silver backed beaver …

Image

Cheemo to you, cup of Joe!

– James

A Cup Of Coffee

One of those favorites for the hard-pressed creative type; morning, noon and night.

Food Banks in B.C.

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100 Mile House Food Bank

5693 Horse Lake Rd. 100 Mile House, BC V0K 2E1

T: 250-397-2571   F:  250-397-2579

Email:    bobhicks@bcinternet.net

 

Abbotsford Food Bank

2420 Montrose St. Abbotsford, BC V2S 3S9 T:  604-859-5749   F:  604-859-2717 Dave Murray Email:    afb@telus.net or   christmasbureau@telus.net

Website:  www.abbotsfordcommunityservices.com

 

Agassiz-Harrison Food Bank

P.O. Box 564 #5 – 7086 Cheam Ave Agassiz, BC V0M 1A0 T:  604-796-2585   F:  604-796-2517 Laurie Sallis Email:    ahcs@shawlink.ca or   greimer@shawlink.ca  Website:  www.agassiz-harrison.org

 

Okanagan Boys & Girls Club

P.O. Box 332 3459 PLEASANT VALLEY RD Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0 T:  250-546-3465   F:  250-546-3468 Andrea Schnell Email:   cfedick@boysandgirlsclubs.ca  Website:  www.boysandgirlsclubs.ca

 

Ashcroft & Area Food Bank

PO Box 603  601 Bancroft St Ashcroft, BC V0K 1A0 T:  (250) 453-9656   F:  (250) 453-2034 Denise Fiddick Email:    scelizfry@telus.net

 

Barriere & District Food Bank Society

P.O. Box 465 Barriere, BC V0E 1E0 T:  (250) 672-0029 Kim Keating

 

Bella Coola Valley Food Bank

P.O. Box 22 Bella Coola, BC V0T 1C0 T:  250-799-5588   F:  250-799-5791 Clare Harris Email:    charris@belco.bc.ca

 

Campbell River & District Food Bank

1393 Marwalk Crescent Campbell River, BC  V9W 5V9     250-286-3226    250-286-3296     Ann & George Minosky email:    ann_minosky@telus.net OR    ann_minosky@telus.net

 

Arrow & Slocan Lakes Community Services

Arrow & Slocan Lakes Community Services  PO Box 100  Nakusp, BC V0G 1R0  T:  (250) 265-3674          F:  (250) 265-3378

Anne Miskulin 

Email:    amiskulin@aslcs.com

 

Arrow & Slocan Lakes Community Services

 PO Box 100

 Nakusp, BC V0G 1R0

 T:  (250) 265-3674   F:  (250) 265-3378

 Anne Miskulin

 Email:  amiskulin@aslcs.com

 

Boundary Community Food Bank Society

Mailing Address:

   7149 2nd Street Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0

   Clients: 215 Central Ave., Grand Forks

   7419 – 2nd St, Grand Forks  T:  250-442-2800  F: 250-442-2800      

 

Larry Dickerson

 Email:  boundaryfoodbank@gmail.com or auroraws@yahoo.ca

 

Bulkley Valley Food Bank Smithers/Houston

P.O. Box 4293 1065 MAIN ST Smithers, BC V0J 1Z0 T:  250-847-1501    F: 250-845-7048 Rick Apperson Email:    rick_apperson@can.salvationarmy.org

 

Cawston/Keremeos Food Bank

c/o Cawston/Keremeos SDA Church 2334 Newton Road Cawston, BC  V0X 1C1 Ingrid Percival Phone:  250-499-0297 Email:    kere@telus.net

 

Chase Hamper Society

P.O. Box 137  Chase, BC V0E 1M0   T:  (250) 679-2399        Email:    cjwyld@cablelan.net   Chuck  Wyld

 

Chilliwack Community Food Bank – Salvation Army

45746 Yale Rd W Chilliwack, BC V2P 2N4 T:  (604) 792-0001   F:  (604) 792-5367 Don Armstrong Email:    careandshareda@shaw.ca Website:  www.salvationarmychilliwack.ca

 

Chemainus Harvest House

P.O. Box 188 9814 Willow St. (BSMT) Chemainus, BC V0R 1K0 T:  250-246-4816

   Sylvia Massey Email:   sylviamassey@shaw.ca

 

Clearwater and District Food Bank

741 Clearwater Village Road Clearwater, BC V0E 1N1 T:  250-674-3402   F:  250-674-3402 Patrick Stanley Email:    pandhlc@telus.net

 

CMS Food Bank Society

2740 Lashburn Road  Mill Bay, BC V0R 2P1  T:  250-743-5242          F:  250-743-5268  Email:    cmsfbank@telus.net

 

Community Connections Food Bank

PO Box 2880 Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S0 T:  250-837-2920   F:  250-837-2909 Patti Larson Email:  plarson@community-connections.ca

Website:  www.community-connections.ca

 

Columbia Valley Food Bank

201 – 7 Ave  PO Box 2141  Invermere, BC V0A 1K0  T:  250-342-0850

Doug Leibel

 

Comox Valley Food Bank

PO Box 3028  1755B 13th Street Courtenay, BC V9N 5N3 T:  (250) 338-0615  Jeff Hampton Email:   comoxvfb@shaw.ca

 

Cranbrook Food Bank Society

104-8th Ave South  Cranbrook, BC V1C  2K5  T:  250-426-7664          F:  250-426-7610 Jackie Jensen Email:    jackiejensen44@shaw.ca

 

Creston Valley Food Bank

807 Canyon St Creston, BC V0B 1G3 T:  (250) 428-4166 F:  1-866-460-881 

Doreen Lowe Email:    cvgleaners@telus.net

 

 

 

Food Bank on the Edge

160 Sea Plane Base Rd PO Box 1146 Ucluelet, BC V0R 3A0

T: (250) 726-6909   F:  (250) 726-7543

U: Lorene (Lorry) Foster Email:    fost@telus.net

 

Fernie – Salvation Army Family Services

PO Box 2259 741 – 2ND AVE Fernie, BC V0B 1M0

T: (250) 423-4661   F:  (250) 423-4668

U: Email:   kyla_mckenzie@can.salvationarmy.org   Kyla McKenzie

 

Friends in Need Food Bank

#8-22726 Dewdney Trunk Road  Maple  Ridge, BC V2X 8K9  T:  604-466-3663          F:  604-463-1736 Joanne Olson  Email:    director@friendsneedfood.com 

Website:  www.friendsneedfood.com

 

Fort St.John – Salvation Army Family Services

10116 100 Ave Fort St. John, BC V1J 1Y6 T:  (250) 785-0500   F:  (250) 785-0517 Isobel Lippers Email:    isobel_lippers@can.salvationarmy.org

 

Golden Food Bank

PO Box 1047 #102 1115 9TH STREET S Golden, BC V0A 1H0 T:  250-344-5608  

F:  250-344-2113 Barb Davies Email:    goldenfoodbank@uniserve.ca

 

People for a Healthy Community Food Bank

PO Box 325, 675 North Road Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0 T:  (250) 247-7311  

F: 250-247-7311 Kathryn Molloy Email:    info@phc-gabriola.org  OR    food@phc-gabriola.org     Website:  www.phc-gabriola.org

 

Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society

1150 Raymur Ave. Vancouver, BC V6A 3T2 T:  604-876-3601   F:  604-876-7323 Garth Pinton Website:  www.foodbank.bc.ca

 

Goldstream Food Bank

Canwest P.O. Box 28122  Victoria, BC V9B 6K8  T:  250-474-4443        

F:  250-474-4443 Sandy Prette  Email:    sprette@shaw.ca

 

Harvest of Hope Food Bank

PO Box 1625  Gibsons, BC V0N 1V0  T:  (604) 886-3665          F:  (604) 886-3683 Maureen O’Hearn  Email:    tsafoodbank@dccnet.com  Website:  www.tsaonthecoast.ca

 

Harvest Food Bank

P.O. Box 849 7120 MARKET ST Port Hardy, BC V0N 2P0 T:  250-902-0332  

F:  250-902-0613 Cheryl Elliott Email:    harvest9@telus.net

 

Hope Food Bank

434 Wallace St  PO Box 74  Hope, BC V0X 1L0  T:  604-869-2466  Ex: 403        

F:  604-869-3317 Kim Paolini  Email:    kpaolini@hopecommunityservices.com  Website:  kpaolini@hopecommunityservices.com

 

 

Hazelton – Salvation Army Community Food Bank

PO Box 100 Hazelton, BC V0J 1Y0 T:  (250) 842-6289   F: 250-842-6553

Tom Harris Email:  sallyann@bulkley.net  or sallysplace@bulkley.net

 

Hornby Island Food Bank

Gunpowder 3-1 Hornby Island, BC V0R 1Z0 T:  (250) 335-1629

Susan Crowe Email:   crosusan@yahoo.ca

 

 

 

Kamloops Food Bank & Outreach Society

P.O. Box 1513   171  Wilson St., Station Main  Kamloops, BC  V2C 6L8 

T: 250-376-2252           F:  250-376-0052 Bernadette Siracky 

U: Email:    bsiracky@kamloopsfoodbank.org 

Website:  www.kamloopsfoodbank.org

 

Kelowna Community Food Bank Society

1265 Ellis Street  Kelowna, BC V1Y 1Z7  T:  250-763-7161          F:  250-763-9116 Vonnie Lavers  Email:   vonnie@kcfb.ca 

Website:  www.kelownafoodbank.com

 

Kimberley Helping Hands Food Bank

340 Leadenhall Street  Kimberley, BC   V1A 2X6  T:  250-427-5522          F:  250-427-2297 Heather Smith  Email:    valb2@telus.net   randyandheather@shaw.ca

 

Kitimat Food Bank Society

14 Morgan St  Kitimat, BC V8C 1J3  T:  250-632-6611  Marjorie Phelps      Email:   marjon@citywest.ca

 

Ladysmith Food Bank

P.O. BOX 1653  721 First Avenue  Ladysmith, BC V9G 1B2  T:  250-245-3079          F:  250-245-3798 Neill-Ireland  Email:    info@lrca.bc.ca 

Website:  www.lrca.bc.ca

 

Lake Country Food Assistance Society

P.O. BOX 41013 RPOS 3130 Berry Rd. Lake Country, BC V4V 1Z7 T:  (250) 766-0125   F:  250-766-3038 Phyllis MacPherson Email:    pmacpher@shaw.ca

 

Lake Cowichan Food Bank

Box 1087 Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2G0 T:  (250) 749-6239  F:  250-749-6239 Cindy Vaast Email:    cowichanlakefoodbank@gmail.com

 

Langley Food Bank

5768-203 St.  Langley, BC V3A 1W3  T:  604-533-0671          F:  604-533-0891 George Vandergugten  Email:    info@langleyfoodbank.com 

Website:  www.langleyfoodbank.com

 

Lillooet Food Bank

357 Main Street PO Box 2170 Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0 T:  250-256-4146   F:  250-256-7928 Violet Wager

Website:  www.bcaafc.com/centres/lillooet/

Email:    foodbank@lillooetfriendshipcentre.org

 

Loaves & Fishes Community Food Bank

1009 Farquhar St. Nanaimo, BC V9R 2G2 T:  250-754-8347    F:  250-754-8349 Peter Sinclair Email:    info@nanaimoloavesandfishes.org

 

Logan Lake Food Bank

PO Box 196 Logan Lake, BC V0K 1W0 T:  250-523-9057   Monica Oram

Email:    monicaoram@yahoo.com

 

Lumby Food Bank

PO Box 791  Lumby, BC V0E 2G0  T:  (250)  547-2225 Bruce Mackie

Email:  jandnmackie@shaw.ca

 

Lytton Community Food Bank

PO Box 87 Lytton, BC V0K 1Z0 T:  (250) 455-2316   F:  (250) 455-6669 Michele Swan Email:   mswan2@telus.net

 

 

 

Mustard Seed Food Bank

625 Queens Ave.  Victoria, BC V8T 1L9  T:  250-953-1580          F:  250-385-0430 Brent Palmer  Email:    brentpalmer@mustardseed.ca 

Website:  www.mustardseed.ca

 

Neighbour Link Food Bank

P.O. Box 2353 Vanderhoof, BC VOJ 3A0 T:  250-567-9007   F:  250-567-9017 Colleen Flanagan Email:  neigh09@telus.net

 

Nelson – Salvation Army Family Services

601 Vernon St Nelson, BC V1L 5R2 T:  (250) 352-3488   F:  (250) 352-7373

Yvonne Borrows Email:    yvonne_borrows@can.salvationarmy.org

 

Nicola Valley and District Food Bank

2026 Quilchena Ave PO Box 2719 Merritt, BC V1K 1B8 T:  250-378-2282   F:  250-378-2982 Karen Flick Email:   foodbank@mail.ocis.net

 

Oliver Food Bank

P.O. Box 405  Oliver, BC V0H 1T0  T:  (250)  498-4555 Jim Ouellette       

Email:    jimo@persona.ca

 

Osoyoos Food Bank

6210-97th Street

   Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V4 T:  (250) 495-6581 F: (250) 495-8011

   Lu Ahrendt

   Email:   rlahrendt@live.ca

 

White Rock & South Surrey Food Bank

5-15515 24 Ave Surrey, BC V4A 2J4 T:  604-531-8168 ext. 229   F:  604-541-8188 Sue Sanderson or Jaye Murray

   Email:   ssanderson@sourcesbc.ca or jmurray@sourcesbc.ca

   Website:  www.pacsbc.com/progr…

 

Peachland Food Bank

6490 Keyes Ave  Peachland, BC V0H 1X0  T:  (250) 767-3312  F: 250-767-3488 Judy Bedford

 

Pemberton SSCS Food Bank

1357 Aster Street Box 656 Pemberton, BC  V0N 2L0 Louise Stacey-Deegan Phone:  604-894-6101 Fax:  604-894-6333 Email:    louise.stacey-deegan@sscs.ca

Website:  www.sscs.ca

 

Penticton – Salvation Army Community Food Bank

2399 South Main St Penticton, BC V2A 5J1 T:  (250) 492-4788   F:  (250) 492-6494 Dorian Polaway

Email:  Pentictoncmw@shaw.ca or pentictonprogramcoordinator@shaw.ca

 

Powell River Action Centre Food Bank

6812d Alberni St  Powell  River, BC V8A 2B4  T:  (604) 485-9166 Gina Kendrick

 

Port Alberni Community Food Bank

4841 Redford St Port Alberni, BC V9Y 3P3 T:  (250) 723-6913   F:  (250) 723-6938 Marilyn Burrows Email:    marilyn_burrows@can.salvationarmy.org

 

Prince Rupert – Salvation Army Family Services

25 Grenville Crt. Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1R3 T:  250-624-6180   F:  250-624-8157 Erica Collison email:   erica_collison@can.salvationarmy.org

 

 

 

 

Prince George – Salvation Army Family Services

777 Ospika Blvd S  Prince George, BC V2M 3R5  T:  250-564-4000 EXT: 223            F:  250-564-4021 Crystal Wilkinson Email:    crystal_wilkinson@can.salvationarmy.org  Website:  www.tsainpg.com

 

Quesnel Food Bank

374 McLean St  Quesnel, BC V2J 2N9  T: 250-992-8784 – 250-992-7079         

F:  (250) 991-5189 Jim Vanderheyden email:    jimmyanddebbie@hotmail.com

 

Quadra Island Food Bank

PO Box 243  Heriot Bay    V0P 1H0  T:  250-285-3888      Teresa Tate  Email:    teresa_tate@yahoo.com

 

Salmo Food Bank

PO Box 39 311 Railway Avenue Salmo, BC V0G 1Z0 T:  (250) 357-2277   F:  (250) 357-2385 Charlene Bonderoff Email:    charlene@scrs.ca  Website:  www.scrs.ca

 

Richmond Food Bank Society

100-5800 Cedarbridge Way  Richmond, BC V6X 2A7  T:  604-271-5609  

Margaret Hewlett      Email:    margaret@richmondfoodbank.org or  

info@richmondfoodbank.org  Website:  www.richmondfoodbank.org

 

Cherryville Community Food Bank Society

412 Sugar Lake Road

   Cherryville, BC V0E 2G2

   P:  250-547-6646  F: 250-547-8944

   Sharon Harvey

   msharon@hotmail.com

 

Salt Spring Island Community Services Food Bank

268 Fulford Ganges Road Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2K6 T:  250-537-9971 (237)  F:  250-537-9974 Gloria McEachern Email:  gmceachern@ssics.ca OR  jvanpelt@ssics.ca OR safoodbank@shaw.ca   

 Website:  www.saltspringcommunityservices.ca

 

 Salmon Arm – Salvation Army Food Bank

191 2nd Avenue NE  Salmon  Arm, BC V1E 4N6  T:  250-832-9194          F:  250-832-9148 David Byers  Email:    foodbank@sunwave.net

 

Share Family & Community Services

2615 Clark Street Port Moody, BC  V3H 1Z4 T:  604-931-2451 F:  604-931-2421 Roxann MacDonald Email:    r.macdonald@sharesociety.ca  

Website:  www.sharesociety.ca

 

 Salvation Army Mt. Arrowsmith Community Ministries

886 Wembley Rd  Parksville, BC V9P 2H6  T:  250-248-8794          F:  250-248-8601 Rolf Guenther  Email:    pvsallyann@shawbiz.ca

 

Slocan Valley Food Cupboard

915 HAROLD STREET     BOX 10     SLOCAN    V0G 2C0     T: 250-355-2484  Deb Corbett Email:    officemanager@wegcss.org

 

Sidney Lions Food Bank

95865 5th Street Sidney, BC V8L 3S8 T:  (250) 655-0679   F:  (250) 655-1130 Bev Elder Email:   fdbank@telus.net

 

Sorrento Food Bank

Box 568 Sorrento, BC  V0E 2W0 Phone:  250-253-3663 or 250-675-3835 Contact:  Jim Chisholm Email:    sorfood@shaw.ca

 

 

Sooke Food Bank Society

2037 Shields Rd Sooke, BC V0S 1N0 T:  (250) 642-7666    F:  250-642-5670

Ingrid Johnston

   email:  ingridjohnston@shaw.ca

 

Sparwood Food Bank

P.O. Box 682 125D Centennial Sq.

   Sparwood, BC V0B 2G0 T:  250-425-6435 Carol Walmsley

email:  jcwalm@shaw.ca

 

South Delta Food Bank

5545 Ladner Trunk Rd  Delta, BC V4K 1X1  T:  (604) 946-1967         

F:  (604) 946-4944 Joe Van Essen  Email:   info@ladnerlife.com

 

 St. Joseph’s Food Bank

32550 7th Ave Mission, BC V2V 2B9 T:  (604) 615-3223  F:  (604) 755-4705

Email:    sjfoodbank@gmail.com John Poston

 

Squamish Food Bank

PO Box 207 Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0 T:  (604) 848-4316

Susan Newman Email:   squamishfoodbank@gmail.com

 

Summerland Community Food Bank

12583 Taylor Place Summerland, BC V0H 1Z0 T:  250-488-2099  Leventine Adams Email:   summerlandfoodbank@gmail.com

 

St. Mark’s Ecumenical Food Bank

1109-95 Avenue Dawson Creek, BC V1G 1J2 T:  250-782-2614 Austin Sones

 

Surrey/North Delta Food Bank

10732 – CITY PARKWAY Surrey, BC V3T 4C7 T:  604-581-5443   F:  604-588-8697 Marilyn Herrmann Email:    execdir@surreyfoodbank.org 

Website:  www.surreyfoodbank.org

 

Sunshine Coast Food Bank

P.O. Box 1069  Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0  T:  604-885-5881 (240)         F:  604-885-9493 Dale Sankey  Email:    scfoodbank@dccnet.com 

Website:  www.sccss.ca/communityaction.html

 

The Terrace Church’s Food Bank

4012 Anderson St Terrace, BC V8G 2T2 T:  (250) 635-9670

John Wiebenga email: jawiebenga@telus.net

 

Tansi Friendship Centre

P.O. Box 418 301 SOUTH ACCESS ROAD Chetwynd, BC V0C 1J0 T:  250-788-2996   F:  250-788-2353 Darlene Campbell Email:    tansifcs@persona.ca

Website:  www.bcaafc.com/centres/chetwynd

 

Vernon (and Enderby) Salvation Army

3303- 32nd Ave.  Vernon, BC V1T 2M7  T:  250-549-1314          F:  250-549-7344 David  MacBain email:    david.macbain@shawcable.com

 

Trail – Salvation Army Services

730 Rossland Avenue  Trail, BC V1R 3N3  T:  250-364-0445          F:  250-368-5806 Linda Radtke  Email:    salvationarmytrail@shaw.ca

 

Westside Community Food Bank Society

2545 Churchill Rd Westbank, BC V4T 2B4 T:  (250) 768-1559  Faith Lanthier Email:    wcfbca@yahoo.ca

 

 

Williams Lake – Salvation Army

267 Borland St Williams Lake, BC V2G 1R4 T:  (250) 392-2423   F:  (250) 392-1467 Claudine Kadonaga Email:  claudine_kadonaga@can.salvationarmy.org

 

Community Harvest Food Bank

301 32nd Street, Castlegar, BC V1N 3S6;  P: 250-365-6440;  Debbie McIntosh;  debbiemcintosh@shaw.ca

 

Cowichan Valley Basket Society

5810 Garden Street, Duncan, BC V9L 3V9;  P: 250-746-1566; F:  250-746-1566; Colleen Fuller; cvbs@shaw.ca

 

Eagle Valley Community Food Bank

P.O. Box 777, Sicamous, BC V0E 2V0;  P: 250-836-3440;  F: 250-836-3414; Janet McClean-Senft; evcrc@telus.net;  Website:  www.eaglevalleyresourcecentre.ca

 

Whistler Food Bank

P.O. Box 900, Whistler, BC V0N 1B0;  P: 604-935-7717; F: 604-932-0599;

Sara Jennings; foodbank@mywcss.org

 

 

B.C.’s new vision

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B.C.’s new vision for mental health and addictions care

A Pathway to Hope: A roadmap for making mental health and addictions care better for people in British Columbia  charts a course to an improved future for health and well-being in B.C. 

This new strategy lays out government’s 10-year vision for mental health and substance use care, in which people living in B.C.’s mental health and well-being are supported from youth to adulthood and programs and services are available to tackle challenges early on.

It also identifies priority actions the government will be taking over the next three years to help people experiencing mental health or substance use challenges right now, to promote wellness and prevent existing problems from getting worse. This roadmap of both short and long-term changes to B.C.’s mental health and addictions care system is based on four pillars:

  • Wellness promotion and prevention
  • Seamless and integrated care
  • Equitable access to culturally safe and effective care
  • Indigenous health and wellness

A Pathway to Hope is a plan to begin transforming B.C.’s mental health and substance use service system from its current crisis-response approach to a system based on wellness promotion, prevention and early intervention where people are connected to culturally safe and effective care when they need it. At its heart, it represents a new way forward for B.C. built on compassion, care and the perspectives of people with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges, that breaks down barriers and meets people where they’re at.

#mentalhealth #addiction #mentalwellbeing #peaceofmind #bccanada