Additional homeless
shelter beds now
offered in Vancouver

> 140 more beds available than this time last year

Jake Wray
News Editor

 

easonal homeless shelters in
Vancouver that provide relief during

the winter months will offer more beds
than they did last year, according to a
press release from the BC government.

A total of 10 shelters with 300
beds—an increase over 160 emergency
shelter beds last winter—will open on
November 1. The release said that in
previous years winter shelters didn’t
open until December. The provincial
government provided approximately $2.8
million in funding for the shelters—a
75 per cent increase over the $1.6
million in provincial funding in 2016.

Vancouver mayor Gregor
Robertson said the extra beds are
available because of the extra funding
from the provincial government.

“Temporary shelters, though not
a permanent solution, fill a critical gap
in getting people off the streets and
connected to outreach workers and
services that will support the transition
into safe, permanent housing,” he said

in the release. “We're grateful for the
BC government’s funding boost this
year to open more shelter spaces, a
month earlier than usual, on top of 600
temporary modular homes. This winter,
providing a warm place to sleep, a meal,
and access to health services can make
all the difference to getting people back
on their feet and into secure homes.”

The City of Vancouver provided
$720,000 in funding for the shelters.

Selina Robinson, minister
of municipal affairs and housing,
said the provincial government is
working on long-term initiatives to
combat homelessness, on top of the
temporary winter shelter program.

“We want people experiencing
homelessness to get the services they
need. That’s why we are working with the
City to make sure people in need not only
have access to a warm bed, but also meals
and health services to help them stabilize
and transition into permanent housing,”
she said in the release. “Although this is
a temporary solution, our government is
working on a homelessness action plan
that includes long-term strategies to tackle
a crisis that has been ignored for too long.”

 

 

Photo by Jason Payne via ‘The Vancouver Sun’

C C Although this is a temporary solution, our
government is working on a homelessness
action plan that includes long-term
strategies,” Selina Robinson, minister
of municipal affairs and housing.”

 

Career planning
workshop held at
Coquitlam campus

> Presentation provides guidance
on how to choose a career

Colten Kamlade
Staff Reporter

 

D ouglas College hosted a career
planning workshop for students
at the Coquitlam campus October 26.

The two-part workshop is run by
Gurmit Grewal and Kristen Rattray,
with the second session to be held
November g. The first session covered
everything from how personal values
affect employment decisions, to how
external factors shape choices. Only
a few people attended, so there was
plenty of opportunity for one-on-
one time with the counsellors.

Grewal said people invest
a lot of time in their jobs.

“We spend roughly one third
of our lives at work,” she said.

If such a large portion of life
is spent in the workplace, Grewal
said, people should put serious
thought into their careers.

“We spend a lot of time giving
thought to decisions like buying a
car ... If only people would spend
that much time thinking about their
careers,” she said. “How many people
take a car for a test drive before they

actually buy it? Pretty much everyone.

But how many people actually go out,
and ‘test-drive’ a career?” she asked.
Grewal said it’s important

to start thinking about careers
while still in college.

“I worked with a lot of adults in
their forties,” she said. “These were
individuals who had done the shotgun
approach to career planning.”

According to Grewal, those
people shared the same sentiment.

“I would hear it over and
over again, ‘I wish I had done this
while I was in college,” she said.

The workshop also touched on
how values can help guide people into
careers that they will feel good about.

“There are some career theorists
who see values as the most important
places to start when we're looking
at career,’ Rattray said. “If you can
really connect your values to what
your'e doing... that’s going to give
you some clear satisfaction.”

Rattray spoke about
the importance of values
generally in people's lives.

“[Values] help organize what’s
important to us,” she said. “[Value]
also impacts our choices and the
decisions we make ... very specifically
in the career-planning experience.”

Even if you missed this workshop,
Douglas College offers career
counselling services to students.

You can book appointments online
on the Douglas College website.

  

Photo via pacificpremiere.com