|
Community Services | |||
| Non-Market Operations |
Evelyne Saller Centre320 Alexander Street Vancouver, BC, V6A 1C3
We are a partnership between the Province (BC Housing), the City of Vancouver and the people living in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Funding is provided for:
Our Mission The Centre operates for the prime purpose of providing a variety of life support services to people with low incomes and special needs. We focus on supporting the physical, mental and social well being of others in order to help stabilize people’s activities of daily living (provisions for food, hygiene care and social supports) and enhance their quality of life. The Centre recognizes the importance of developing relationships between staff and people who come to the Centre thereby helping to provide a safe, secure, healthy, supportive and caring place to be, thus meeting a variety of needs. The Centre recognizes that all individuals who need our services have a right to them, providing they respect the conditions & guidelines for proper behaviour expected of those who gather in the Centre. [top] City of Vancouver’s Mission To create a city of communities which cares about its people, its environment and the opportunities to live, work and prosper. Who comes to us?
There are 45 staff (full & part time) working at the Centre. The workers are Health Support Attendants, Activity Leaders, Coordinator of Volunteer Programs, Security Attendants, Cooks, Food Service Workers, Building Service Workers, Clerk and Managers. Our job is to provide services that help people access hygiene care, food provisions, life-skill development, companionship and support. We also assist people to manage their money for food in trust accounts. Our support to people often involves listening, para-counselling, giving people advice and encouragement to change or stay the course and generally get through the day. Health Support Services Many people live in single room accommodation or on the streets. The Centre provides facilities for bathing (showers), laundry, first aid, delousing. The Centre in effect becomes their washroom. Delousing treatments are provided to people who cannot assist themselves. Appointments are made by self referral or agency referral. Showers:
Laundry:
Delousing:
[top] Recreation/Social Support Services The goal of the Centre’s recreation services is to introduce and encourage all clients/patrons, to participate in our “active” social, recreation and life skill development programs. People come to the Centre to have companionship. Often they seek out the Centre as a refuge from the streets, from the loneliness of single room accommodation and from personal isolation. Our Recreation Department offers opportunities for people to take part in both passive and active activities inside and outside the Centre. Staff in the Centre encourage people to take part in their own skill development through learning forums, volunteering, and one-on-one supports. Often staff provide personal help to others through para-counseling supports and referrals to other helping agencies such as clinics, Detox Centre, DERA, Women’s Centre, etc. The Centre offers varied recreation and life development programs and we welcome new comers to join and become part of the activities. For further information please take note of our posted scheduled events and/or contact one of our recreation staff. The Friends of the Evelyne Saller Centre Society is our volunteer society and there are 231 members of the society. There are 40 volunteers who are also our clients/patrons. They participate in activities to help operate the Centre on a daily basis. Their participation provides them with positive activities such as sharing their skills and time for others. Some of the volunteers have become paid staff from time to time. Meal Support Services
The Centre’s cafeteria is open from 10:00 am - 2:50 pm & 3:30 pm - 5:50 p.m. every day of the year. Our cafeteria provides hot meals with different menu courses offered each day. A full course breakfast, lunch or supper at a flat rate of $2.00 is charged for each meal. The real cost of the meal (food, labour) is subsidized by BC Housing. Anyone who comes to our cafeteria is asked to cooperate in keeping good order and maintaining proper conduct so as to provide a comfortable and supportive place for everyone to have a meal. Everyone is expected to follow the rules posted in the cafeteria. Anyone who wishes to set up a food account or wants further information about our meal services may contact our staff in the administration offices, Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. People living on low incomes (Welfare, Pensions, E.I. etc.) and people with no incomes come to the Centre to access low cost meals. Many people who come to the Centre live in single rooms or on the street and therefore have no refrigeration or cooking facilities. The centre becomes their kitchen and dining room. People who cannot afford to pay for the $2.00 meal may ask for a meal voucher from the Ministry of Housing and Social Development to assist them for a period of time. People can pay for their meals directly with cash or they can prepay their meals by opening and depositing money into a client trust account. People can also arrange with their worker to use meal tickets or have their worker deposit funds in a client trust account as per the guidelines set by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development. The Evelyne Saller Centre is an Extreme Cold Wet Weather Shelter. This takes effect when we are called upon by the Vancouver Extreme Weather Coordinator calls an Alert. In 2007 the Center was open on 12 occasions for a total of 373 people in out of the cold. Note: City of Vancouver work stoppage for 3 months. As a result numbers are down over 2006 as recreation was closed and reduced hours in our health services. [top] Stats and Facts Number of laundry loads done in 2008: 23,638 In 2008 there were 60,685 participants attending a variety of recreational/social events and learning activities, in house and out trips. There were 12,821 hours of Volunteer time in 2008. Currently there are over 402 client trust accounts used by clients who wish to have some money set aside so they can have reliable access to low cost meals. The Centre opened in 1976 (the “44” on East Cordova) then moved to 320 Alexander St. in 1986. On the occasion of the retirement of the founding director, Evelyne Saller, the City of Vancouver gave the Centre her name in honour of her service to the people of Downtown Eastside. Please feel free to drop by and meet us anytime. If you wish to tour our Centre and learn more about our services, give us a call. You are always welcome. A Memory of Evelyne Saller who passed away on November 1, 1998
I met Evelyne in the early 80’s at the 44 Club on Cordova. I was at the time, a rebellious teenage run-away who lived and experienced life on the streets (one of the lucky ones who didn’t get mixed up in the hard-core scene) and a lot of people kept six (keep an eye out for) on me. One day Evelyne asked me into her office, and introduced herself to me. She was a hefty woman, who had a great compassion for humanity and always had a warm, caring smile. I never felt uncomfortable or threatened by her. Evelyne explained that my Social worker had called her and was concerned about me. Wanted to know how I was doing? If I was eating properly? Where I was staying? If I wanted to return back to the group home, the doors would always be open for me. Evelyne said, if I ever needed help or something to eat, not to hesitate to ask her. I thanked her anyway and left. I could have bothered her for a meal(s) but there were a lot of free services I could go to, which I did on a daily basis. I was too young for welfare and had no source of income. I use to get up at the crack of dawn and head to this warehouse on Adanac/Clark area called “Peaches” at the time. Where dozens of other people would wait to see about getting on one of the many vans to deliver flyers. If you were lucky to get on, you’d make $28.50 a day. At the time I had to feed two other people on that income. I’d go to the old Woodward’s food floor in the basement, where I’d buy bread, newfie steak (bologna), mustard, Kool-aid and a couple of boxes of no name macaroni dinner. Nothing too fancy but it sure hit the spot when you’re hungry. I’d venture to the 44 Club, when I couldn’t get out at Peaches. Hang out with a few friends, eat, have a shower, play pool, ping-pong, darts and a few board/card games. Evelyne and I kept in touch on a week to week basis and she’d inform my Social worker of my progress. I met a few friends at the 44 Club, who I still know today, and for the ones who passed away, their memories still live in my heart. [top] |
|
|
|
Questions or Comments? E-mail: info@vancouver.ca
|
![[ Evelyne Saller Centre ]](images/esallerimage1.gif)
