People and Programs
Each year, we join communities and organizations throughout the region to mark Homelessness Action Week.
Homelessness Action Week 2016 is October 9 to 15.
What the week is about
The week’s purpose is to raise public awareness on issues of homelessness and rally local solutions.
Homelessness Action Week is organized by the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness. The Committee is a coalition of community organizations and all levels of government.
Events and initiatives
We are a proud participant in Homelessness Action Week, and support events and initiatives during the week and over the year, including:
- Homeless Connect, where attendees can get everything from health care assistance to bike repairs to a nutritious meal
- Events hosted by local non-profit organizations
Upcoming events
Homelessness Action Week 2016 Proclamation
Wed, Oct 5, 9:30am
If not for dreams: The 9th annual Oppenheimer Park community art show
Wed, Oct 5, 12:00pm–6:00pm
If not for dreams: The 9th annual Oppenheimer Park community art show
Sun, Oct 9, 12:00pm–6:00pm
Bannock on the run
Mon, Oct 10, 4:00pm
Homelessness Action Week grants
Community and grassroots events and projects are an important part of Homelessness Action Week.
We provide grants to non-profit organizations to host events and organize projects related to Homelessness Action Week that:
- Help Vancouver residents who are homeless
- Create awareness of homelessness
- Engage citizens on solutions to homelessness
Learn more about Homelessness Action Week grants
2016 grant recipients
| Organization | Project |
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Community Open House 2016 Thanksgiving community meal; housing and support service resources and care kits for the homeless, those at risk, and marginally housed mothers and children; tour of the Centre; and packed lunches delivered in the DTES. |
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Homeless Action Day stew and bannock Over two days, Anderson Lodge residents and staff prepare and deliver care kits and stew and bannock meals to the homeless and at risk in the DTES. |
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Ready to Rent Workshops RentSmart workshops for homeless and at-risk women, with a primary aim of empowering women to be more independent in their housing searches and loss prevention. |
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Roots to Wings: A Strengths-Based Leadership Project Leadership training for highly marginalized women of the DTES, tailored to each participant’s unique strengths and abilities in an accommodating, safe, and trauma-informed way. |
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Hunger Banquet Community Dialogue Based on last year’s success, the Youth Advisory Committee will create care packages for at-risk moms and babies at the Aboriginal Mother Centre, and host a hunger banquet and dialogue to raise awareness around homelessness. |
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If Not for Dreams: The 9th Annual Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show The exhibition showcases artwork from members of the Oppenheimer Park community, many of whom have been homeless or at-risk. The show features painting, drawing, print-making, sculpture, carving, textile, mixed media, and video works. |
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Providing Alternatives Counselling & Education (PACE) Society |
Experiencing Homelessness: Sex Work Storytellers Writing workshops for PACE peers, culminating in a housing-themed event to foster discussion on homelessness and sex work. The event will spotlight the intersection of gender, sex work, and housing, and current and former sex workers will be joined by UBC researchers sharing their work on the local housing crisis. |
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We Can’t Afford Poverty A collaborative project with Raise the Rates that highlights the widening gap between rich and poor through community-driven art workshops in the DTES community. |
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SRO Exhibit Artist Greg Masuda’s virtual SRO exhibit King Rooms #31 installed as part of the 2016 Powell Street Festival, to raise awareness and build connections for Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District residents, many of whom live in SROs or are homeless and vulnerable to displacement. |
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Setting Roots in Your Community: We Care About You An intergenerational project with seniors, Grade 4 students, and at-risk high school students. Over the year, lunches and welcome kits and two hearty meals are prepared and provided to new residents of the Kingsway Continental Hotel. |
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New Heights Youth training sessions designed and led by a Youth planning advisory group, focusing on key issues such as food security and housing. A community dinner will be hosted to build capacity for solutions and raise awareness around youth homelessness in the Champlain neighbourhood. |
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Under One Umbrella Homeless Connect A day-long service fair for people who are homeless or at risk, with up to 40 community service providers. |
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© 2016 City of Vancouver
