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Homelessness in Downtown Vancouver

Homelessness in Downtown Vancouver. Clare and Katie April 4 th , 2011 Block: A. “ Blessed are you who are poor, For the Kingdom of God is yours.”. A Prayer for the Homeless Man. I pray that someday you Get enough food to eat And you no longer Have to live on the streets

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Homelessness in Downtown Vancouver

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  1. Homelessness in Downtown Vancouver Clare and Katie April 4th, 2011Block: A

  2. “Blessed are you who are poor, For the Kingdom of God is yours.”

  3. A Prayer for the Homeless Man I pray that someday you Get enough food to eatAnd you no longerHave to live on the streets I pray your daysMay get brighterAnd the heavy burdens You carry, become lighter I pray you find hopeThough somedays It must feel you areAt the end of your rope I pray as the monthsStart to become coldYou find a warm andSafe place to go I pray someday thatMore people in this worldWill lend you a helping hand And not look downOn you, because you are A homeless man

  4. EXPERIENCES • We have all had experiences with homeless people- both good and bad • Reflect on an occasion where you had an interaction or were moved by a homeless person

  5. DEFINITION: HOMELESSNESS Homelessness categorizes the condition of people without a regular dwelling because they are unable to acquire, maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.“

  6. The Downtown Eastside • The Downtown Eastside of Vancouver is the poorest postal code in Canada. Its streets are a home for thousands. As a district renowned for violence, drug addition and sex work, the Downtown Eastside maintains the highest HIV infection rate in North America, affecting 30 per cent of the local population, mainly women. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0IaVbbDkQA&feature=related

  7. WHERE? • The intersection of Main Street and East Hastings, the heart of the Downtown Eastside and the busiest corner of the district. It has been referred to as an "open-air market" for drugs. 24 hours a day, the intersection of Main and East Hastings is alive with residents of the Downtown Eastside. • However, the Downtown Eastside expands beyond this area.

  8. Facts • The top reasons for living on the streets: -Lack of income (25%) -Cost of housing (19%) -Addictions (17%) -Family problems (10%) • About 3,700 people are currently homeless in Vancouver. We live in one of Canada’s most expensive cities, and a lack of affordable housing is one of the reasons the rate of homelessness continues to grow. • Even families and individuals who hold a job can find themselves homeless, without a place they can afford to live. Many people have no choice but to sleep outdoors each night, on the streets or beneath an underpass. Others may couch surf, live in their cars, or stay in crowded, temporary shelters.

  9. Facts • A huge segment of the Downtown Eastside is indigenous. Almost 40% of the homeless population is Aboriginal, even though they make up only 2% of the city’s population. • Over ½ of the occupants of DTES reported drug and/or alcohol addictions, ¼ reported having mental illness

  10. Safe Injection Sites • Since a huge amount of the homeless on the DTES are drug addicts, a safe injection site was opened. This has lowered the spread of HIV and has reduced other harmful consequences of IV drug use according to a Canadian Press • The project is highly controversial and as a result, its existence and funding of the site is always in question. • Clip: 3:48- 6:02 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQpRMJacTiQ

  11. Do you believe safe injection sites are a good idea or not? Explain why or why not.

  12. Catechism of the Catholic ChurchWhat does the Church say? “2447 The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God: -He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?”

  13. “…for the Kingdom of God is yours.”WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? The Old and New Testaments mention this “kingdom” many times throughout the scriptures. Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is connected to 5 spiritual realities: spiritual life, the Holy Spirit, spiritual fellowship, salvation, and righteousness. This Kingdom is different from a physical kingdom we might imagine. In John 18: 36-37, Jesus speaks: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” Journal Response: What do you think the Kingdom of God is? How do you think you might work towards reaching it? Does our generation put too much focus on material goods and take other, more important things for granted?

  14. Oppenheimer Park PoemBy: Bud Osborn After a memorial service for Irving Stein at Mission Possible I walk to the restroom in Oppenheimer Park and wait outside for the stalls to empty a young native woman a girl really so radiant and lovely comes over and says “I saw you on television last week!” “oh yeah?” I say “Yeah!” she exclaims and holds her left arm out and points to the needle tracks abscess wounds and says “you make us human beings!” and tells me she’s going into a recovery house tomorrow but has already been in lots of those places

  15. “me too” I say and tell her “we gotta keep trying” she agrees and says she’s afraid to work the streets now with so many women disappearing or being hurt I apologize for getting her distracted but I’m watching ambulance guys try to revive a white man who is down on the grass not moving at all but suddenly jerks his arms around and looks very angry at having his life saved I know that kind of resentment too Reflect: Take a moment and put your head on your desks. Imagine what it would be like for yourself to be living homeless and on the streets. No journals are necessary. After some time, share with the person beside you what you envisioned.

  16. Activity Most people who are living on the downtown eastside have absolutely no one who genuinely cares for them.We have the power to change this even if we do it through the simplicity of recognition.

  17. Action Plan • Vancouver’s Homeless Action Plan identified a need for 3,800 units of supportive housing from 2005 to 2015. • Since 2005, about 900 units of new supportive housing have been added. 14 City-owned sites will be developed, of which six are under construction now to deliver 600 units by Spring 2011. • Other projects, such as Woodward’s and Union Gospel Mission, add an additional 216 units. Taken together, 1,700 units of new supportive housing will be occupied by Spring 2011. • 2,100 units are still needed to address homelessness.

  18. How Does This Affect Us? • Gives many people a bad impression about Vancouver because of the reputation of the DTES • There are so many homeless people, that after a while our society becomes apathetic and tries to ignore the problem • STA’s ‘Door is Open’ and Agape Team as well as many other organizations open their arms to help those residing on the Downtown Eastside. The feed, cloth and provide love for the outcasts of society.

  19. What Can We do?(reference: Catholic Social Teaching) • 1. SOLIDARITY
 PRAYING for the poor, the homeless, for an end to sweatshops,etc.
 • 2. EDUCATION
We are obligated to educate ourselves and others about Social justice. Study all you can about all the social issues facing us in the world today. Spread the word about these issues. Examples : Homelessness, the natural disasters, sweatshops, etc..
 • 3. COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Get involved in the community! Volunteer at soup kitchens to help those in need. • 4. ADVOCACY
This is giving a voice to those who have no voice, that is, the poor, the sick, the homeless, etc. We are called to speak out! Very often legislation gets passed to the disadvantage of many, because the elected official simply didn't know how people feel about the subject. This is because no one bothered to call!

  20. Closing Prayer God of love, be with all who struggle for their next meal and who sleep on the streets of Downtown Vancouver. Surround them with the light of Your love, and guide them out of the darkness of uncertainty and fear about how they will meet their needs. Grant them resources to rebuild their lives, and comfort them on the long road ahead, now and always. Loving God, thank you for the gift of a home and for my family and friends who love me. Help me remember how fortunate I am to have a roof over my head and to never forget those who do not. AMEN

  21. Bibliography • Stefan, Christoff. "The Poorest Postal Code." Dominion (2007): n. pag. Web. 28 Mar 2011. http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/909 • "Homelessness in Canada." Intraspect (2011): n. pag. Web. 28 Mar 2011. http://intraspec.ca/homelessCanada.php. • Catechism of the Catholic Church. (2003). . Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM • Bedard, Rich. (1999). Catholic social justice (catholic social teaching). Retrieved from http://www.ecatholic2000.com/sj/socjust.shtml • Campbell, Bart. The Door Is Open: Memoir of a Soup Kitchen Volunteer. Vancouver: Anvil, 2001. Print. • Bud Osborn and Richard Tetrault. Signs of the Times. Vancouver: Paneficio Studios and Anvil Press, 2005. Print. • BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. http://www.biblegateway.com/

  22. song and hobo bill for when we are writing the prayer cards. • Hobo bill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv-pRbShVi8

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