This week the Nelson Committee on Homelessness released its 11th Annual Report Card on Homelessness. The report found that vacancy rates from purpose-built rent-controlled units in buildings of more than 3 units remain at effectively 0% for the fifth year in a row. The report ends with recommendations including: the development of MORE
Penticton Western News: City of Penticton supports $10aDay Child Care program CTV News: B.C. ‘struggling’ to meet needs of vulnerable youth in contracted care: auditor APTN National News: Language and child welfare bills pass as MPs head home for the summer APTN National News: B.C. CFS moves in to seize 90-minute-old baby on report MORE
The Mayor’s Task Force on Community Housing has proposed a list of 10 “Quick Start” actions intended to build momentum and engage residents in a discussion on trade-offs and solutions to improve housing affordability and accessibility. The task force will deliberate on these ideas for its final report, to be MORE
The Poverty Reduction Coalition is happy to announce another round of the Community Action Network (CAN) Leadership Training Program starting early April 2019. This program provides an opportunity for individuals in Metro Vancouver with the lived experience of poverty to develop their advocacy skills as they aim to increase their MORE
The Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee invites you to participate in the Skookum Lab, an initiative that is building solutions to the high rates of Indigenous child and youth poverty in Surrey. Part of the process for building community-based solutions is through the development of Guide Groups consisting of elders, MORE
The #AllOnBoard Campaign stands for affordable and accessible transit based on income in Metro Vancouver to ensure our communities can access public transit to live, work and thrive. Port Moody City Council met on December 4 and voted to endorse the #AllonBoard Campaign, as moved by Councillor Amy Lubik. You MORE
CHEK: West Coast LEAF says further progress is needed for B.C. to meet international women’s rights obligations Tri-City News: PoMo council wants free transit for youth APTN National News: ’A turning point’: New Indigenous child welfare legislation will save lives says Philpott The Tyee: Good Intentions on Indigenous Child Welfare MORE
CBC News: ‘There’s so many kids dying’: Mother says anti-gang program that saved her son desperately needs funding CBC News: Child poverty decreasing ‘pitifully slowly’ in B.C., report finds Vancouver Sun: B.C. child poverty figures remain bad, but report sounds note of optimism The Tyee: Whose Children Are Growing Up MORE
Last week, the YWCA Metro Vancouver marked the Week Without Violence. A powerful article titled, “We #BelieveHer, But We Need More Than Retweets to Change Culture” outlines the reality of the culture we’re living in, which breeds the perpetration of sexual assault. The article links objectification of women with subsequent MORE
The Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre conducted an online survey earlier this year of all staff working in centre-based child care programs in Vancouver to collect data on wages and benefits of educators and administrators. One result from the 627 completed surveys (92% female respondents) found the median hourly wage MORE
First Call and the Living Wage for Families Campaign signed onto the open letter spearheaded by the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition to urge the Nanaimo City Council to extend the closing date of the tent city past October 12th. Following release of the letter, the City of Nanaimo announced that they will wait for MORE
Toronto.com: (Opinion) Extend Canada Child Benefit to all The Nelson Daily: Op/Ed:Progress on Child Care in BC StarMetro Vancouver: Even social-housing workers are being priced out of Vancouver Global News: Housing crunch pushing even the suburbs out of reach of B.C. families: report Times Colonist: Tent cities a ‘viable first step’ toward solving housing crisis MORE
Earlier this month, the BC Government announced its annual maximum allowable rent increase. BC landlords will be allowed to increase rents by as much as 4.5 per cent in 2019 — the biggest increase since 2004, when it was capped at 4.6 per cent. Families in BC are already struggling with MORE
Check Your Head is looking for youth aged 15-25 years old to join the Youth Building a New Economy cohort. The program runs from October 2018 – February 2019 and kicks off on October 3rd with a “Speed Dating” event where you can meet the partner organizations, including First Call. Applications are due October MORE
BC Local News: COLUMN: Child poverty still a problem in B.C. CBC News: B.C. First Nation secures federal funding for plan to keep children out of foster care CBC News: Mom says flight attendant told her to keep toddler with autism quiet CBC News: Downtown Eastside daycare closing after failing to meet city grant MORE