DSU Raunag via Facebook SPOTLIGHT: Jai Hind (Long Live India)! > DSU Raunagq Club prepared to help international Indian students Aaron Guillen Staff Reporter Douglas, it can be understandably hard to adjust to the quick-paced life of a college student in Canada. For those who are a part of the growing Indian community on campus, the DSU Raunaq Club wants to extend a welcoming hand. Bhavneet Toor, President of DSU Raunaq Club, said, “At the DSU Raunaq Club, we have created an avenue for students at Douglas College to discover and celebrate the richness of Indian culture and enabling positive contributions in the community.” “We try to celebrate all Indian festivals with enthusiasm on campus, for which we arrange parties, so that the whole community can come together as one and celebrate the prominence of the po international students attending Indian brotherhood, culture, and music. Our main focus is on international students coming from India who face problems with housing, culture shock, and jobs. We try to provide them with the best advice, job offers, and housing information.” Formed back in 2011, the club was known under the name DSU Punjabi Students Federation, with its main motive to promote Punjabi culture at Douglas. Once the leadership role was passed onto Toor, she soon realized the problem with the name of their club. “Punjab was just a small part of India and the name focused on only our Punjabi students,” Toor said. “Students from other parts of India, such as Delhi, Haryana, and Mumbai used to feel left out and never participated in our gatherings. Therefore, it was suggested to change the name to Raunag, which is a Hindi word for celebration—now, we cater to all the Indo-Canadian people. The club is still running successfully for five years straight and this semester we got approximately go new additions to our club catering to more than 500 people.” Toor noted that members are eager to share their struggles, with executives providing a helping hand, especially when it comes to Eve teasing (public sexual harassment), racism, or culture shock. Understandably, international students remain the focus of the Raunaq Club. In addition, Toor shared that they are more than happy to welcome non- Indians. “We did have a few non-Indians back in 2013 and 2015 at our parties and bhangra practice. We want everyone from the college community to know how rich and diverse our culture is.” This past year, the DSU Raunaq Club has performed Bhangra, a Punjabi dance, at the 125th Anniversary of Coquitlam, for the Bhangra Festival, the Find refuge at RainCity > Housing initiative gets homeless people off the streets Aaron Guillen Staff Reporter They don’t call it RainCity for nothing— that is when it comes to RainCity Housing, a charitable organization devoted to supporting and providing ongoing housing needs for individuals struggling with addictions, mental illnesses, or other challenges. Recently, the Vancouver-based charity was able to put their numbers into perspective with just under a year since opening their Coquitlam location, 3030 Gordon Ave, last December. According to data from the operation facility, a substantial amount of tenants in the homeless shelter have been able to find permanent housing or move on to treatments and detox. RainCity shared with the Tri-City News that of the 120 people that came through the doors of the Coquitlam shelter, 25 per cent were able to move onto treatment/detox, 23 per cent were able to find permanent housing, 20 per cent had moved onto supportive housing within the facility, 12 per cent had been supported and taken in by family members, and 8 per cent had moved onto another shelter. Unfortunately, the charity hasn't heard back from 12 per cent, but do know that 3 per cent have ended up in jail. After the numbers have been crunched, 23 per cent of the 120 people remain unable to find a permanent housing situation. Bill Briscall, RainCity’s communication manager, shared his outlooks on the data to the Tri-City News. “We are happy with the outcomes. Over half the people are getting into housing, which is great given the shortage of housing,” he said. A few weeks ago, emergency beds were occupied by 15 people who showed up at the doors of 3030 Gordon Ave after warnings had been issued regarding a three-day storm hitting Metro Vancouver. While the 30 separate rooms and 30 apartments are usually full at RainCity, luckily no one had to be turned away. Sandy Burpee, emergency response organizer, pointed out to the Tri-City News that the numbers that turned up for the shelter don’t accurately reflect the amount of homeless in the area. In addition, Burpee said that some actively choose not to go inside facilities. Many RainCity organizers suggest it may be due to age and the amount of time homeless. “For those who have been homeless many years, it is hard to get them into a shelter,” said Briscall to the Tri-City News. end of semester party back in April, and during EDGE. Most recently, they held the Diwali Party 2016 at the Bollywood Banquet Hall. In addition, they plan to perform Bhangra for an event on November 28 in the Coquitlam campus. Every Wednesday, they teach Bhangra, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. in Room N2221. “This club has helped me to develop my interpersonal skills, confidence, and patriotism towards India,” Toor said. “I want to be a great mentor to my fellow students. I look forward to grow in all fields, be it Bhangra, my accounting career, leadership, or event organizing. I would like to serve as the President until I graduate. I won't stop teaching Bhangra even if ] graduate. We, at the DSU Raunaq Club, are pleased to help new and current Indian international students with all the possible help, be it work, studies, immigration documents, or housing related.” “Those folks that were homeless the smallest amount of time get housed faster because they are going through a different experience.” According to the data from the shelter, three per cent have been homeless for more than 10 years and another three per cent have been homeless for 5-10 years. The numbers jump when taking a look at a smaller timeline with 15 per cent landing in the 2-5 year range and 17 per cent being homeless for only 1-2 years. In the past six months of operation, 3030 Gordon has recorded 43 of 68 people in the housing shelter were homeless for less than a year, with 23 for less than a month, and 15 for less than a week. Burpee hopes to begin hiring staff for the emergency response team in early November, as weather predictions look dire for the winter ahead.