The application portal for the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit is now open! The Government of Canada has introduced a new affordability measure to help lower-income renters who are most affected by the rise of inflation and struggling with the cost of rent. The one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit provides eligible […]
Photo by jplenio on Pixabay Four older women’s passages through the labyrinth of homelessness, converge in lived expertise as researchers On an August morning in 2021, a group of researchers congregated in a boardroom in downtown Victoria. Its windows, stretching from floor to ceiling, were more capacious than those of the digital screens […]
Narrated by: Hilary Marks Christy took pride in being a community researcher, a role in which she applied her analytical mind, empathetic ear, and dedication to giving back – even when she had lost so much herself. “If I knew at the outset of my career that I could do this for a living […]
Narrated by: Gabrielle Gabrielle is the youth storyteller for Face 2 Face with Stigma. She is also a person experiencing homelessness and drug use and uses these experiences to educate others. Maria is a natural protagonist and storyteller who “could write a bloody bestseller.” In life and in narrative, Maria’s creativity shines through as […]
Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay In the spring of 2020, Jessica began working for a University of Victoria study that examines homelessness and housing insecurity in older women. In this role, she is a researcher who holds a rare combination of academic training, with a Master’s degree in anthropology, and lived experience of the […]
Narrated by: Jessica Stepushyn Jessica is a facilitator and creative for Face 2 Face with Stigma who also has lived experience of mental illness and invisible disabilities. When Leanne was offered housing at a sheltering hotel during the pandemic, she had hoped secure a place to rest at the age of 68, after residing […]
Narrated by: Bailey Bailey is a storyteller for Face 2 Face with Stigma who is also 3 years into recovery from addiction and mental illness. For much of her life, Celeste had to be a “scrapper” in order to survive. Of the many things she’s braved – trauma behind closed doors, on the streets, […]
The Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness notes with hope the provincial government’s commitments to increase supports for people experiencing homelessness – particularly its commitments to youth. The 2022 Budget commits $35 million over the next three years to respond to the heightened risk of homelessness faced by former youth in care. The Greater Victoria […]
If you require urgent emotional support, including having thoughts of suicide and other mental health issues, please call Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888.
Youth (under 25 years of age) may access youthspace.ca for online emotional support.
For other resources, including shelter availability, visit bc211.ca
