news // 4

Homeless seniors rely heavily
on Victoria shelters

» SFU student's study shows seniors stay 1n shelters for longest duration of time

Anthony Bianco
The Peak

recent study on patterns

f homelessness in greater
Victoria, led by Simon Fraser
University master’s student
in public policy Hannah
Rabinovitch, reported that there
is a disproportionate number
of seniors utilizing emergency
shelters over longer periods of
time as compared to all other
demographics.

Rabinovitch, in partnership
with the Centre for Addictions
Research of BC at the University
of Victoria, conducted a
longitudinal study focussed on
patterns of emergency shelter
use in greater Victoria.

Rabinovitch, who began
collecting data for the study in
April 2010 and ceased collection
in May 2014, followed 4,332
individuals, and examined
approximately 46,000 shelter
records.

Over 85 per cent of shelter
users accessed the shelters only
once or twice. However, 13.6
per cent of users accessed the
shelters as many as five times

The remaining 1.5 per

: cent—where seniors were

: overrepresented—stayed four to
: five times over the course of four :
: years for an average length of six
: months.

Despite the large sample

: of individuals followed,

: Rabinovitch conceded that
: the results were not fully

: representative of the population :
: who use homeless shelters. “For
: example, it’s widely known in

: research that homeless women
: avoid emergency shelters for

: fear they’re unsafe and that their :
: children will be apprehended,

: and because they lack women’s
: beds,” Rabinovitch said.

Rabinovitch, who has

: worked with five out of the

: seven emergency shelters in

: Victoria, is worried about the —:
: large number of seniors utilizing :
: shelters. “I was stunned by the

: number of seniors with complex
: physical and mental health

: problems regularly seeking

: refuge in emergency shelters,”

: she said.

Rabinovitch also stated,

: “It really points to the fact that
: ... there’s a housing gap and
: that they are finding serious
during the four-year period, with :
an average stay length of 30 days. :

challenges for homelessness.”
Seniors often experience

: more health problems
: than other segments of the
: population, and being homeless

further contributes to these

: issues. “In general, older

: people experience more health

: challenges, and the longer

: people stay homeless, the worse
: their health outcomes get,” said
: Rabinovitch.

The homeless pattern

: reported in Victoria is similar to
: those in Ottawa, Toronto, and

: Guelph. The Greater Victoria

: Coalition to End Homelessness

has partnered with the

: government, non-profit

: organizations, and local service
: providers to work towards

: eliminating the problem of

: homelessness in Victoria by

: 2018.

Bernie Pauly, Rabinovitch’s
supervisor and a researcher

: for the University of Victoria’s

: Centre for Addictions

: Research, said that the team

: is investigating strategies that

: may contribute to finding a

: solution: “Those experiencing
: temporary homelessness

: would benefit from rapid re-

: housing, more emergency cash
: assistance, and rental subsidies
: to prevent or quickly address

: homelessness.”

 

theotherpress.ca

 

Douglas College Foundation hosts 17th ‘A Class Act’

» Fundraiser returns this Friday with Roaring ‘20s theme

Angela Espinoza
News Editor

Minews
= _ @theotherpress.ca

he 17th annual “A Class

Act” fundraiser will be
taking place October 17. The
fundraiser serves to raise money

and bursaries, while offering
wine and beer tastings to a
different theme each year at the
David Lam campus.

This year’s theme is “A
Toast to the 20s,” inspired by
the prohibition-era. “At the
beginning of the year, the
[Douglas College] Foundation
staff brainstorm ... and this year
we collectively came up with
the 1920s theme,” said Douglas
College Foundation executive
director and associate vice
president external relations,
Hazel Postma. “We added

: chocolate and jazz to the normal :
: wine and beer tastings. After

: discovering that cocktails were
: invented in the 1920s to mask

: the taste of bootleg spirits, we

: added cocktails to the evening.”

Past themes have included

: Mediterranean, the ‘7os,
: and last year’s theme was

: Oktoberfest.
for Douglas College scholarships:

“There’s going to be a [1927

: Chevrolet Touring] car there as
: a photo prop, so you can have

: your pictures taken with the

: car,’ said student leader Lisa

: Collyer. “With the wine and

: the beers we're also pairing

: different chocolates, different

: percentages, so some very dark,
: some lighter.”

Collyer plays a large role in

: organizing the many student
: volunteers for the fundraiser

: each year. “This is actually the
: third year in a row that I’m

: helping,” said Collyer. “I’m in

charge of ... keeping on top of

: who will be doing what and
: getting them oriented and
: trained for the evening.”

“We've always worked

: with the hospitality students
: so it gives them some applied
: practical learning,” said Postma. :
: “[The students] act as hosts,

: they help us with registration,
: with serving the food, with

: overseeing the [live and silent]
: auctions, they help with setup
: and take down—they help

: throughout the evening.

“They get a bit of training,

: we're bringing someone in to

: talk to them about chocolate;

: the different types of chocolate
: anda little bit of the history

: of chocolate so that they can

: then talk knowledgeably to the
: guests. So it’s a fun evening,

: but there’s also an education

: component.”

“Last year we had about

: 47 students volunteer,” said

: Collyer. “I think this year we'll

: probably be seeing more about
: ... 35 students volunteer.”

: Collyer added the number was:
: decreased as last year there were :
: slightly too many volunteers.

“We've invited the mayors

: of the Tri-Cities ... to be the

: live auctioneers,” said Postma.
: Coquitlam Mayor Richard

: Stewart, Port Moody Mayor

: Mike Clay, and Port Coquitlam
: Mayor Greg Moore will be

: running the live auction.

Regarding auction prizes,

: Collyer stated “last year we had
: a $1,000 shopping spree for

: Coquitlam Centre. There [were]
: a lot of things donated by the

: local businesses; gift certificates :
: for restaurants, Westminster

: Savings donated a [guaranteed
: investment certificate], Port

: Moody Liquor Store donated

: some gift certificates.”

There will also be a bursary

: draw, where one lucky winner
: will get to name the bursary
: upon winning.

Postma stated that 250
guests are expected to attend

: this year, with the hope of

: collectively raising more than

: last year’s net of $30,000 in

: donations. “We'll be selling

: tickets toa bursary draw ... and
: then if they win, they get to

: name the bursary.”

Attendees are encouraged

: to dress up in black-tie

: or ‘20s-themed clothing,

: although dressing up is not

: mandatory. Douglas College

: director of development

: David Magnuson-Ford will be

emceeing the event. Tickets

: can be purchased online at

: http://bit.ly/ithNIZN or via

: phone at (604)-777-6176 for $75
: up to October 16. Attendees

: must be 19 or older.